Faulkner\'s a Rose for Emily and Porter\'s the Jilting of Granny Weatherall

Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Porter's "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall."

Jilt can have particularly negative consequences on an individual who is left, considering that the respective person comes to consider that he or she is actually to blame for the fact that his or her lover did not share his or her feelings. The effects of jilting are reflected by the behavior of individuals like Emily in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Granny Weatherall in Katherine Anne Porter's "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall." Even with the fact that the former decides to employ a more aggressive attitude in regard to her lover, the latter considers that it would be pointless for her to blame him and simply accepts her condition, even with the fact that she feels rejected by the world as a whole as she spends her last moments on earth.

Even with the fact that it is obvious that Emily was wrong in murdering her lover, one can actually understand her feelings through observing the case of Granny Weatherall. The fact that George left her was especially significant when considering her psychological development. She decided to hide her affair from her children and felt betrayed all across her life until the moment when she died. Emily chose to adopt a different attitude in regard to Homer and considered that the only strategy that she could use in this situation would be to put an end to her lover's life, so as to feel that she would be the last woman that he ever loved.

Although it is difficult to determine which of the two characters felt sorrier as a result of their experiences, it is only safe to assume that Granny Weatherall's reluctance to deal with her problems directly consumed her throughout her life and did not provide her with the opportunity to actually enjoy living. Even with this, her decision to contact George with the purpose of letting him know that she managed to recover after losing him makes it possible for readers to understand that she acknowledged that life was not all about happiness and things that she could enjoy.

Even though both women were severely affected by the fact that they were jilted, this process actually had a positive effect on them when considering things from a social level. They became independent consequent to this moment and they developed strong personalities with the purpose of being able to go over any problem, regardless of its gravity. The two women actually acknowledge that they much more vulnerable before their lovers left them. Although Emily is also capable to make it on her own, Granny Weatherall puts across impressive behavior after the moment when she is jilted. She manages to go through life raising children on her own and refraining from being negatively affected as a result of being disappointed by various people that she comes across. This is also likely to be a result of the fact that each woman came from a different background. Emily acknowledged that there was no solution for her other than killing Homer because she was accustomed to being provided with everything she wanted all through her life. In contrast, Granny Weatherall has always been familiar with coming across problems and thus feels that there is no other option for her than to continue to struggle for her well-being.