In Catherine Anne Porter's short story The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, the main character Ellen was rejected in early life, though she is heart broken she proves to be triumphant and grows stronger as an individual as time passes. When Ellen was around twenty-years old, she was rejected by her bridegroom at the altar. He never gave her a reason as to why he abandoned her or any indication that he was unhappy. Although she eventually becomes stronger, it is obvious that Ellen never really lives this down, because she continually made reference to this particular moment. .
Although Katherine is jilted, she later becomes strong enough to let a man named John come into her heart. John really felt sorry for Ellen because of how George stood her up. Over a period of time, they fell in love and later got married and had four children. John had an untimely death around the age of forty and left Ellen to take care of their kids. This was not an easy task for Ellen, but she managed to do a very good job raising her children: Cornelia, Jimmy, Lydia, and Hapsy.
Not only did Granny Weatherall gain strength and triumph over emotional pain, she also triumphed over physical pain and difficulties for many years. Around the age of forty, she became ill. Ellen had gotten milk leg. This is a painful swelling of the leg occurring in women after childbirth as a result of clotting and inflammation of the femoral veins. She also had gotten double pneumonia; which is an infection of the lung commonly due to streptococcal infection. She never even wanted to let her doctor, Dr. Harry, check up on her. She was very strong-willed towards him, considering the fact that he was there to take care of her. .
Granny Weatherall became the source of her own strength. She kept to herself. She had thoughts about her negative past experience with her lover and never really told anyone about them. She mentioned the letters she had wrote to John and George that where at her home.