Genre
Short story, novelette
Setting and Context
Neither certain time nor geographical place is said; the actions take place in granny’s bedroom on her deathbed.
Narrator and Point of View
Third person
Tone and Mood
The technique of “stream of consciousness” is used in the story, which presumes changes of mood with the change of things described. The overall tone is sad, as an old woman is about to pass away, but it may change with happy memories. But still there is sadness more as happiness in the story.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is granny Weatherall, and the antagonist may be considered George, the man who had stood her up many years ago. He has hurt her really strong, and she still cannot forgive him.
Major Conflict
The main conflict of the story is granny’s denial to die. Even though she has been preparing for death for 20 years, she still cannot accept it is soon to happen.
Climax
Climax occurs when all her children are gathered at her bed waiting for her to join the better world.
Foreshadowing
An 80-year-old woman and a doctor around her does not predict anything good. From the very beginning the atmosphere foreshadow death.
Understatement
There are too many things in the story left unsaid. We don’t know whether Hapsy, granny’s daughter, is alive, we cannot completely be sure whether she was happy or not in her marriage.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The author uses imagery when describing granny’s unaccomplished wedding day, and vivid imagery of restlessness is provoked by description of granny’s death.
Paradox
Granny seems to be a person who needs everything to be tidy and in order, but still she lays a lot of things on tomorrow.
Parallelism
Parallelism is a part of a “stream of consciousness” technique. Events referring to both future and past are described in such a way that it is difficult to draw a line between what is now and what was there, as well as between what is real and what is imagined.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The author often turns to personification device to produce an effect of relating actions of inanimate objects to emotions of the main heroine: “fog rose over the valley, she saw it marching across the creek swallowing the trees and moving up the hill like an army of ghosts”.
