In "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," a short story by Katherine Anne Porter, the last thoughts, memories, and feelings of an elderly woman coming to terms with her inevitable death are retold. As our main character, Granny Weatherall, has her life "flash" before her eyes, the symbolic nature of the title becomes clear; in every relationship of her life, she had been disappointed, betrayed, or mislead. Her daughter Cornelia, past love George, husband John, and in the end even God had "jilted" her. The constant circle of wickedness caused Granny Weatherall to literally "weather it all" and become a combination of strength, bitterness, and ultimately, fear as she faced her last living moments.
Granny's strength came from the people she had felt jilted by. George, her past lover, had left her standing at the altar, her heart hardening in the midst of heartbreak. He never came to her and, though it is not stated, it is assumed that she had not heard from him ever again. The pain that Granny felt forced her to be strong and when asked if anything could be done for her, her strength is proven in her thoughts. "I want you to find George. Find him and be sure to tell him I forgot him. I want him to know I had my husband just the same and my children and my house like any other woman. Better than I hoped for even. Tell him I was given back everything he took away and more". She went on to marry her husband John, but once again her strength was tested when one of her daughters passed during child birth, as well as John passing at a young age, leaving Granny to raise the remaining children alone. "Sometimes she wanted to see John again and point to them and say, well, I didn't do so badly did I?" She had been strong enough to carry the burden of losing two lovers and a child, yet still raise good children. .
It was her daughter Cornelia that invoked bitterness in her last days.
