Symbolism in The Grave
Born May 15, 1890, in Indian Creek, Texas; Katherine Anne Porter has written numerous short stories and a novel. Katherine Anne Porter uses autobiographical information and symbolism to relate the story of Miranda's maturation into adulthood in her short story "The Grave." In "The Grave," Miranda discovers her feminine side (West 28), and although she is only a child, Miranda understands a few of the events that shape a person into adulthood (Mooney 20). Porter's genius as a writer is most evident in "The Grave," published in 1935 (Grubbs 3319). Written in a style that is uniquely Porter's, it is a powerful story of two children's contact with the intricacies of life and death. Set on a farm in Texas in 1903 (Brooks 115), "The Grave" recounts the story of Miranda, the character based on Porter's life (West 6), and her movement from innocence to knowledge (West 29). "Miranda learns about birth and her own destiny as a woman" (Brooks 118). This short story is intensely autobiographical--both Miranda and Porter's mothers died during childbirth (Givner 236). Additionally, when Porter was young, she and her brother found a ring and a dove in the grave of their grandfather, as did Miranda and her brother Paul. "Thus, not on
ly did Porter employ real objects and events in the story, but she also carried the event in her mind for some three decades before it emerged and was reborn into fiction" (Grubbs 3321). Summary: Cheatham discusses the autobiographical aspect of Katherine Anne Porter's fiction. He also talks about the symbolism of the silver dove in "The Grave," and what the inclusion of this symbol means. It also ties the use of the silver dove back to Christian meanings and references. themselves because they belong to me, and have meaning to me, but they come of Studies in Short Fiction. Vol. 30. (1993): 119-27. EBSCOhost. AN: 9511241777. On a separate occasion Porter is quoted as saying, "I never consciously took or adopted a symbol in my life" (qtd. in Unrue 17).
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Approximate Word count = 2283
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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