Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” the main character, Phoenix Jackson, demonstrates old-age, fearlessness, and persistency. She shows real love and compassion for her sick grandson by traveling a long journey from the country to the city to get him medicine. Most would give up on such a tedious a journey. Though having multitudes of obstacles, she never gives up. Jackson’s relentlessness behavior represents her endurance as an elderly black woman in the 1940’s.

Phoenix Jackson is an elderly, African American women who makes her way to town to pick up medicine for her grandson. Along the way, she encounters difficulties that she overcomes in order to reach her destination. Welty uses the south’s view of African Americans to inspire Jackson’s journey. She meets up with a young, white man who is hunting while walking through the woods. He condescends her because of her old age and the color of her skin. He even, at one point, aims his gun at her as a joke. She never falters, and even ends up stealing a nickel from him. Also, when she enters the clinic where she needs to pick up the medicine, the receptionist thinks she is merely lost and unintelligent. She talks to Jackson as if she is less than her until a nurse, who knows Jackson, steps in. These things are southern aspects that can only be so accurately depicted if the writer is a southerner

“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is a short story in which fulfills all aspects of literary connotations. Phoenix Jackson’s only true motivation to keep living was to help keep her young grandson live. While there are a multitude of literary elements and devices splurged throughout the story, some of the first ones to spot make the biggest impact. Phoenix Jackson’s name is revealed in the first three lines of text, and leads the reader to make an immediate assumption. She makes this trek over and over again, continuously, and as she nears the end of her life she will nourish her own son back to health. Her journey to Natchez is filled with a multitude of impediments, but can mainly be broken down into the physical, social, and mental

She has two different condition through out the story. She gets calm and smart when she met the hunter and the nurse. But she gets slow and blind when she walking in the woods and talking about her grandson. She keep talking to herself during the journey, she wants all the animals and trees and bushes let her walk pass the woods, she get trap by the bushes because she can not see thing well. But after she fall into the ditch, she met the hunter, suddenlly she is able to watch a coin drop from the hunter’s pocket, and quickly pick it up without notice. And when she talking to the nurse and the hunter, she was acting, because the old lady knows when she speak cartain things, people will not bother her anymore. Phoenix Jackson is a wise women who live through the South North War, and her body condition is very healthy for a old women like her. But she gets slow when she thinking about her grandson, animals and trees in some way represents innocence and pure, which just like her grandson. I think it is the reason why she keeps talking to the animals and plants during the

Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path is a short story about a very old African-American woman who courageously goes the distance in unyielding circumstances. In the 1940s, in Mississippi, Phoenix Jackson walks all alone to Natchez for half a day in December to reach the medical clinic. At the clinic she receives medicine for her grandson, who swallowed lye several years ago. She makes this trip twice a year. Phoenix has made this journey so many time that her path to Natchez is like a worn path. "Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far.... Something always take a hold of me on this hill ..." The story follows the old woman as she struggles and fights her way down that path to get to the clinic.

A worn path is a short story by eudora welty about an elderly african-american woman named Phoenix Jackson and her trek through the wilderness to get into town. It’s set in the 30’s and she’s on the journey to obtain medicine from the local pharmacy for her grandson. The story details the struggles she faces on her trek into the town of Natchez, Mississippi as well as the people she meets.

While a narrative voice that is non-participating character, Eudora Welty is able to characterize the protagonist, Phoenix Jackson in “A Worn Path” to explain the importance of perseverance. Phoenix Jackson is an “old negro woman” (page 1; line 2) line who is traveling on a long trek through thick to receive a medicine for her ill grandson. Throughout her treacherous journey, she encounters a young white male who threatens her by “lifting his gun” (5;7) and pointing it at Phoenix. The narrator’s initial characterization and interaction of Phoenix, allows her to demonstrate perseverance later in the story. Within the first few paragraphs the narrator describes Phoenix as an “old negro woman” (1;3) who is also “very old and small” (1;3).

In the story by Eudora Welty, “The Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson is a complex character who defies a stereotype in a symbolic way. Welty's story describe Phoenix as the o;d lady who had to travel miles a day in order to prove to the other characters that her grandson was not dead. Having to prove that her grandson was not dead Phoenix had three traits of characteristics. She was loving, determined, and persistent. These traits help her to overcome being stereotyped and ultimately her overcoming these stereotype made her symbolic in the journey, her name, and the time frame in which the event happen.

In the short story, "A Worn Path" Eudora Welty's plot is not all that clear in the beginning, but progresses as her character carries on against the overwhelming forces against her. In this short story a black elderly woman, Phoenix Jackson, must overcome the odds against her as she valiantly travels through many obstacles in order to contribute to the wellness of her grandson, for whom she is making this trip down "a worn path." It is at this point that all of Welty's readers' hearts open up to this poor, elderly woman as she makes an attempt to carry on her love for her grandson by taking a long journey down a familiar path in order to get medication that seems to help ease his sickness pains. However, there are many forces against

surroundings. The main character in the story, Phoenix Jackson, is an old black woman who

“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is the story of an elderly African-American woman named Phoenix Jackson. It takes place in Natchez, Mississippi, in December 1940. The story is about Phoenix’s difficult quest to get medication for her sick grandson. On her journey, she endures various hardships such as walking to the city on a cold December morning and being humiliated while on her journey. On this difficult journey, Phoenix encounters both impolite people and others who are willing to lend a hand. The main objective of the story is to take care of and respect the elderly and to bring attention to racism. Reading “A Worn Path” was a positive experience for me because Phoenix’s story was one of strength, determination, and compassion.

I agree that her misinterpretation of the scarecrow is a vital part of the story. In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Phoenix has difficulty seeing. This characteristic contributes to the impact of the story by showing her strength and perseverance along the path to Natchez (Welty). For example, even though Phoenix couldn’t see well and faced several difficulties along the way, such as the incident with the dog, she continued her path to Natchez in order to get medicine for her ill grandson (Welty). Phoenix’s desire to overcome obstacles to get the medicine for her ill grandson symbolizes the older African-American generation’s strength through the difficult period in order to provide the younger African-American generation with a better quality

Phoenix Jackson is the protagonist in the story. Phoenix is a very old, small lady. She wears a red rag tied on her head. She walks very slowly when she goes places, but she is always determined. Phoenix is a selfless person and always shows compassion towards others.

Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path portrays an elderly woman, Phoenix, who endures a regular, strenuous journey into town to receive medicine for her grandson from a charitable pharmacy. She encounters difficulty aroused by nature and disapproving townspeople but triumphs and succeeds her goal. The use of characterization and symbolism creates A Worn Path by representing a strong and significant protagonist, as well as offering a symbolic meaning of life and courage when faced with love. The short story contains many elements of literature, but characterization and symbolism are two that make the story relatable and enjoyable and give off a sense of comfort and empowerment through Phoenix.

The Author, Eudora Welty, chose to tell it from this point of view because she wants the reader to notice a contrast in Phoenix when she finally reaches her destination in the city. In the country, Phoenix was in her element, talking to herself amongst the familiar landscape, familiarity with the path she has taken many times before, hence it being worn, and being unaffected by the antagonist, the hunter and his gun. In the city, she was just a charity case and did not feel herself. She even forgot momentarily why she was there in the first place. You can clearly see the structure of the story changed as soon as she entered the city, from being a courageous woman not afraid of whatever came her way, to a woman who needed help just tying her