The Grave Chapter Summary & Analysis | Analysis

Analysis

Katherine Anne Porter's The Grave is a story about the transition to adulthood and a loss of innocence. The protagonist Miranda traces this change from childhood to womanhood back to one specific day and one event. The story told by the narrator is wrapped in the history of Miranda's family, beginning with her grandmother. Miranda's grandmother moves from place to place after her husband dies. With each of these moves she uproots her dead husband's coffin to bring it with her. When she dies she wants to be buried next to him. In the description of her moving, the narrator says it is as though the grandmother moved around looking for her own burial spot. This is symbolic to the idea of a restless woman who is looking for a final place to settle and rest. This also foreshadows Miranda adulthood; she too moves around in exploration of exotic places.