The tale focuses on the protagonist, Granny Weatherall, as she lives out her final days. Years ago, Granny was jilted at the altar, and now she is being jilted in death. The story explores the ramifications of witholding forgiveness and the consequences of living in the past.

Sixty years earlier, Granny was to marry George. However, he never showed, leaving her standing at the altar. As Granny asks herself, “What does a woman do when she has put on the white veil and set out the white cake for a man who doesn’t come?” (133)

Granny eventually married, a man who seemed to be a knight in shining armor. After all, John saved her from the embarrassment of being left at the altar. However, Granny never forgives George, even after sixty years. While lying on her deathbed Granny tells Cornelia, “I want you to find George and tell him that I forgot him. I want him to know that I had my husband just the same and my children and my house like any other woman.” (134) Granny wanted George to understand the pain and suffering he had caused.