Porter's short story the grave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Porter's short story the grave - Essay Example The development of the story from beginning to end is such that it keeps the readers interested in the story at all times. ‘The Grave’ communicates many themes and we will, in this essay, attempt to highlight some of those themes in detail. The story is mainly telling that there is always life after death, and that life is of a cyclical nature. We will attempt to prove this through our analysis of the story. The story is about two siblings Paul and Miranda, and their experience which they gained from a hunting trip. The story has many themes hidden in its portrayal of Miranda. The two siblings found two items, a dove and a ring, from the emptied graves of their grandfather. After this discovery, they went to hunt and Paul was successful in hunting down a rabbit, which turns out to be a pregnant female. This hunt gave Miranda an experience of womanhood that overcomes her innocence forever. The maturation of Miranda, the cyclic nature of life, and death and recovery are th e three major themes dominating the story and each will be discussed in the paper in detail. Maturation of Miranda: From Innocence to Womanhood The character of Miranda is the main focus of the story. She is a nine year old girl that is out on a hunting trip with her brother, but seems to be more interested in firing than hunting. She is out to hunt but actually is fascinated by the sound of gunshot and likes to walk around. Her brother is a hunter and acts as a protector of Miranda. The portrayal of Miranda in the beginning depicts the innocent nature of the girl. She is child that is fascinated by travelling on foot and shooting. She is also keen to discover new things. Overall she is introduced in the story as an innocent child that is free from all defects. The innocence of Miranda is clearly depicted during the hunt when her brother tells her not to fire aimlessly at anything. She is an innocent child that, even tough is on a hunting trip, escapes the brutality we generally ass ociate with hunting of animals. But author only builds up the innocence of Miranda to depict her transformation to womanhood. When Miranda finds a dove in the empty grave of her grandfather she is excited. But what excites her even more is the ring that her brother found in the grave. The mere exchange of the two items beautifully depicts the transformation of Miranda from an innocent child to a woman. The ring makes Miranda feel like a woman as she wears the ring thinking about her inappropriate attire. She immediately felts a need of a fresh bath and changing of clothes, both of which are evidence of her newly found womanhood. The transformation of Miranda is not immediate but it happens in a step by step manner. The last stage of maturation of Miranda from an innocent child to a woman comes when her brother kills a pregnant rabbit. The mere sight of the baby rabbits in the belly of the mother invokes strange discomfort in the mind of Miranda. She becomes aware of the process of r eproduction and how her own body can give birth to other human beings. The sight it seems snatches every bit of innocence from Miranda and marks the beginning of her journey to womanhood. The maturation of Miranda signifies the continuity of life after death. The death of the female rabbits is followed by the realization of Miranda about her own ability to give life. The author attempts to portray that death is followed by life, and both are a continuing process. The dead rabbit