Katherine Porter's 'The Grave'

Katherine Porter’s “The Grave” is a coming of age story told with the focus on a motherless girl who is just beginning to experience maturity. Although the mother’s absence is not directly mentioned in the story it provides the atmosphere that surrounds the characters unfolding. Her motherless state is a predetermining factor in her identity. Characteristically girls who grow up without a mother are seen as self propelled, self-directed, with the ability to function on their own without inhibitions or encouragement. In this situation we see Miranda’s maturity in her ability to understand the thematic elements related to the baby rabbits and their death.
On the surface “The Grave” simply appears as a story about two siblings out for the day hunting. It gains significance though the integrated symbolism and ambiguous narrative elements. These underlying elements encourage the reader to make their own meaning and give the work a plurality of interpretations. The treatment of oppositional themes in the text causes it to be self-deconstructing leaving plenty of room for the reader to decide its …show more content…
She admits that she and her brother fail to conjure up suitable emotions for the situation and instead felt a thrill of wonder. Through these images the author paints the picture of Miranda, as a tomboy who is comfortable around death, likes to shoot for the pleasure of pulling the trigger and hearing the noise, and someone who likes to hunt for snakes. She is described as preferring “ her overalls to any other dress” and “careening around astride bareback horses”. She often joins her brother wandering around the land unsupervised on expeditions participating in activities such as hunting and exploration. Miranda’s behavior appears to be governed by the fact that she is motherless living with a father who is accepting and encouraging of such

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