The Stages of Death. 5 stages of death. The jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Porter.

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The short story "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," by Katherine Anne Porter introduces us to Ellen, a strong defiant woman, who comes to the realization that her long life is about to come to an end. There is in all of us a curiosity about dying. We try to understand the processes that our physical and spiritual being must face. Regardless of our religious beliefs, there are doubts and shadows of uncertainty that we face as we prepare to move on to the other side. Preparing for approaching death can be terrifying if you have no idea what to expect both physically and emotionally. There are five stages involved, some have time to proceed into each stage and come to a peaceful resolve.

The first and major stage of dying is denial. Considering yourself to young and not ready to die is the first segment of this stage.

Porter allows us to visit each stage of the dying through her corrigible character Ellen. Ellen denies the fact that she is dying as Doctor Harry warns her to remain and rest as she protest, "Leave a well woman alone. I'll call for you when I want you...Where were you forty years ago when I pulled through milk-leg and double pneumonia?" (236) When we are faced with the uncertainty of death sometimes we refuse to accept it as a fact. We deny that we are even sick. We remember the times in our lives when we were faced with traumatic experiences and sickness.

When faced with the fact of impending death, suddenly we realize that we are not in control of our lives or even our deaths. Leaving us with no choice and facing the fact that we are going to die. It makes us angry that...