Why does Granny not clearly identify the man pushing the cart (Death) and the man "cursing like a sailor" in "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"?

As Granny fades in and out of consciousness, the lines between the present and the past, reality and memory are blurred. For this reason, Granny's recognition of the presence of the priest, Father Connolly triggers her memory of his having held her up when the groom failed to arrive at her wedding. She does, in fact, remember that he "cursed like a sailor" and offered to kill George. But, because she is fading from life,...

As Granny fades in and out of consciousness, the lines between the present and the past, reality and memory are blurred. For this reason, Granny's recognition of the presence of the priest, Father Connolly triggers her memory of his having held her up when the groom failed to arrive at her wedding. She does, in fact, remember that he "cursed like a sailor" and offered to kill George. But, because she is fading from life, she does not recognize Death as the man holding the reins of the cart that she imagines when Father Connolly arrives to give her the last rites.

Katherine Anne Porter's short story "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," while told from third-person narrator, much of the narration comes from Granny's interior monologue. Because of this stream-of-consciousness narration, objectivity is missing as she slips into other dimensions. For, Granny is dying and her faculties are diminished; for the most part, she becomes absorbed in her old memories. One of these is her longstanding remembrance of the hurt of having been left at the altar by George so many years ago. 

It is the use of these two narrative techniques that enables Porter to connect the present and the living with the past and those who are dead, such as her daughter Hapsy. Ironically, the use of these techniques makes the story more credible, while also providing insight into Granny's character.