SOURCE: "The Jilting of (Hetero) Sexist Criticism: Porter's Ellen Weatherall and Hapsy," in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 28, No. 1, Winter, 1991, pp. 9-20.

In the following essay, Hoefel provides a feminist interpretation of "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall."

A central issue in the criticism of "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" is that of Hapsy's identity and her role in the life of Ellen Weatherall. The analyses dealing with this question are based on various assumptions, treated as facts, regarding who/what took precedence in Ellen's life. Among these assumptions are the following: (1) that Ellen is still grieving over the jilting at the altar by George sixty years ago; (2) that she is being totally sincere when she thinks she's had everything that any "normal" woman would want; (3) that the reference to something "not given back" is either a reference to her former fiancé George or to the general unhappiness that...