A Worn Path Eudora Welty

I think the trip to the city to get the medicine represents the mythological trip that the Phoenix takes to the sun to die. I say this because by going on this journey Phoenix is using the last of her energy and will probably die soon after it. On her way to the city Phoenix faces many obstacles. One obstacle she faces is old age “Seems like there is chains about my feet “ she says this because her old age has left her almost immobile. The first actual obstacle she comes across is the scarecrow who represents death or the grim reaper because he is described as wearing all black and is trying to get her to come with him. Another thing that links the scarecrow to death is the simple fact that he is in a field. The next obstacle is the white hunter who tells her to go back and represents evil forces ” Well, granny you must be a hundred years old and scared of nuthin I’d give you a dime if I had any money with me. But you take my advice and stay home, and nothing will happen to you”. He is lying about having no money so she steals a nickel from him, a trivial amount of money for him that won’t be missed so we the readers find ourselves justifying the theft.

In this short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, I will be analyzing symbolism. In the story “A Worn Path” the author uses symbolism to create a figurative explanation of the occurrences in her journey. This story has distinct symbols from myths, historical, and biblical events. The character Phoenix Jackson has various trials to go through on her way to town to get more medicine for her ill grandson.

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A person’s journey can have symbols that come through everyone’s life. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Eudora describes symbols by using people that come through Phoenix’s path while she’s in her journey to Natchez. Eudora uses a nickel, marble cake, big dead trees, mistletoe, and a white hunter to symbolize Phoenix’s difficulties and obstacles that she had to go through in order to get to her destination.

The social obstacles she faces do not make up a great part of the story, but is the one factor that dominates her trip. Phoenix encounters the white hunter on her way to Natchez. Her age and race lead the young white man to mock her, but have a certain sympathy for her. He realizes she is adamant on achieving her goal to go into town, and passes by her at the realization. While in town she is subject to the direct ridicule of the secretary in the pharmacy. The racial barriers present in this time period makes Phoenix’s ordeal even that much harder. She lives in extreme poverty, but does what she must in order to survive. The receptionist realizes that Phoenix is both illiterate and nearly blind, but instead of aiding her she scolds her for not speaking and stating her reason for being in the building.

Phoenix lived in a society where racism was still running strong. Yet she faced and dealt with that every day of her life. As an African-American slave, she would have toil in the fields, wondering if she would still be alive by the time the sun was setting. Phoenix is visible shaken with a run a scarecrow she believed to be a ghost. She says to image, "'Ghost,' she said sharply, 'who be you the ghost of? For I have heard of nary death close by” (Welty 24).Slave mothers would often show that same fear as they watched the shadows return from the field; wondering if their loved ones were still alive or was going to come home unharmed. Phoenix faced those same fears as a mother and grandmother. If Phoenix was caught in the

Phoenix Jackson in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" has been compared to the mythological phoenix because of her birdlike qualities, and it's also been noticed that Phoenix possesses many of the same characteristics as Christ. But, what hasn't been addressed is the fact that Eudora Welty didn't just leave the symbolism to Christ alone. Welty also included many biblical allusions as well. Phoenix Jackson is not only symbolic of the mythological bird that rose from the ashes of its own demise or simply a Christ figure comparable to the Son of God, but she is also a biblical hero facing temptation and trials along her journey and succeeds unharmed and steadfast in her faith.

In the story “A Worn Path” uses a continuous number of literary techniques and there is an overflow of symbolism. In the story everything symbolizes an object symbolism is when an object in the story can relate to something. Symbolism is a literary technique that adds meaning to a story by using an event or object as a symbol to represent something else. Phoenix Jackson represents the most important thing in the story the ancient Egyptian bird the Phoenix. The story “A Worn Path” takes place in December 1941. It’s about an old lady named Phoenix Jackson that goes to town in Natchez, Mississippi to get some medicine for her grandson who had swallowed lye many years back. Phoenix faces some obstacles on her way to town that try to keep her

If had the chance, would you ever change your "path" through life? As we go through life

Everyday people encounter challenges that stand in their way of achieving their goals, but with sheer determination most accomplish their mission. In the short story “A Worn Path” written by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson, the main character, has a mission to complete while confronting many challenges. One way to convey this idea is with the literary use of theme. The theme of a literary work is defined as the central idea, concern or message about life that an author wishes to convey to his/her readers. There can be more than one theme in a literary work. One of the major themes in Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” is the sheer determination that Phoenix Jackson conveys via her actions. This short story centers on the

Some people say that when telling a story individuals reference experiences that they have gone through in their lives. However, this idea of writing may be difficult if the writer is describing a person completely different from themselves. Although personal experiences may help a writer, an open mind with an imagination and allowing the story to tell itself are qualities which are what helps writers create great stories. Eudora Welty, who wrote “A Worn Path”, and Nadine Gordimer, with “A Chip of Glass Ruby”, were able to depict and describe women from different ethnic backgrounds from themselves.

At first glance, Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” leaves the reader with a sense of uncertainty and dissatisfaction. It is only after taking a historical approach to the story when the mood, setting, and theme becomes vivid and insightful. Welty describes Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist, as a humble Negro woman, immediately setting the tone by the matching the language of the segregation era of the mid-twentieth century. Then, the reader learns that the story takes place in the Old Natchez Trace, further solidifying the setting in what is usually referred to as the Deep South. So, it is no surprise that the imagery found in the story also corresponds to the time-period; e.g. the humble clothes made from sugar sacks, the fields of cotton and corn, and the lye swallowed by the grandson. These items would have been common in a time when most African Americans were found in the humble rural areas of the state due to the social inequalities at the time. With the setting in mind, it then becomes evident that Welty creates Jackson as the embodiment of the hopes and struggles African Americans experienced in a post-Civil War era.

Phoenix seems to take on the characteristics of an animal (behavior-wise) in the story. For example, when she crosses the creek she closes her eyes to find her way across, just as some animals do. Most animals have a dominant sense of smell, touch, or hearing, rather than sight. These senses are what take over and help the animal navigate. Welty writes, “Old Phoenix would have been lost if she had not distrusted her eyesight and depended on her feet to know where to take her”(96). Phoenix’s ability to find her way without her eyesight is similar to that of a bird flying south for the winter-they cannot see as well as they can use other senses to navigate their route. The legendary Phoenix bird did the same. It flew to the city of Heliopolis to nest in a tree, set itself afire, and be reborn. Phoenix Jackson shows similar behavioral characteristics to this as she takes trips to the city of Natchez to get medicine for her grandson, which will restore life to

Love a commanding emotion of unfathomable affection that can play a prominent role in peoples’ lives. It is an emotion, so a person cannot see or hold it, but has the force to affect people. On one hand, it pushes people to go out of their way, and when they have nothing left, it makes them continue. On the other hand, it may be to overcoming that it blinds the person, and he or she does not know the full consist of the situations he or she is in. In Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path," Phoenix Jackson is perceived as determined and loving due to her actions, yet at the same time, she seems innocent and at loss of the situation she is in.

Copyright Notice ©1998−2002; ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license. ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher. For complete copyright information on these eNotes please visit: http://www.enotes.com/worn−path/copyright