Essay Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

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.

Phoenix Jackson, the main character, is a small, old African American woman who goes on a journey for a purpose that is unknown at the beginning of the story. Although Phoenix has made this trip many times, something is different about this trip. Throughout her journey, Phoenix faces many obstacles and hardships. The author uses symbolism and, later, gives the reader awareness of Phoenix’s character while, hopefully, teaching a lesson about life. In “A Worn Path”, Eudora Welty uses the symbols of the name “Phoenix”, life and death, and the main characters’ age throughout the story.

Overall, Phoenix Jackson’s character adds to the story through her humble, maternal strength. Phoenix’s love for her grandchild brought her through many challenges, but year after year as she completes her trek, she keeps her grandson as her top priority. This overwhelming level of determination allows her to keep hold of her most valuable possession. Through her actions she reveals to the reader that her humble, caring, determined nature allows her to overcome the odds and provide for her family as well as maintain a simple Southern elegance.

To establish, connection of Phoenix to a phoenix the narrator described Phoenix as a woman of old age. The narrator placed emphasis on the color of Phoenix eyes (blue with age). The character is described walking slow in the dark shadows. Emphasis placed on the character uncertainty of footing and steadiness suggests she was old. Her wrinkled forehead is a symbol of a person of age. All these references constitute Phoenix was a lady of extreme age. She was also referenced to a grandfather clock. The grandfather represents age, but it also had a hidden

In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty uses setting, characterization, and tone to illustrate the progresses of Phoenix, in a physical and emotional sense. The author illustrates the progress of Phoenix’s social, physical, and emotional sense to describe changing times and social norms. This allows the reader to get a clear and vivid out reach of what they are going to read about phoenix journey.

His grandmother is the only relative he has left, and she makes the trip to town to receive medicine that soothes the pain. There has been no change in his condition, Phoenix tells the nurse, he sits with his "mouth open like a little bird." She also says that though he suffers, he has "a sweet look." Though Phoenix says he is not dead, some critics have theorized that he is. The Hunter The hunter encounters Phoenix after she has fallen into a ditch, the unfortunate result of an encounter with one of his dogs. He helps her up, demonstrating his willingness to assist a person in need. But his subsequent conversation with her reveals his disrespect for her and biased attitudes towards African Americans in general. When he learns that she intends to walk to town, he assumes Phoenix is not able to make the long journey and he tells her to go home; he has no qualms about issuing the order. But when she persists, he relents, assuming that the only reason "old colored people" would embark on such a long trail would be to see Santa Claus. In a second instance of disrespect, he tells Phoenix that he would give her a dime if he had one, unaware that Phoenix has already picked up the nickel that fell out of his pocket. In a third example, he points a gun at her face and asks if it scares her. He is amused by the fact that it does not, further emphasizing his insensitivity. Throughout the conversation, he refers to her as "Granny," as the other

In paragraph 5 Welty said, “Seem like there is chains about my feet…” This is symbolic to Phoenix being a slave in her younger days. In the story Phoenix never reveals her age but it is known that she is old. She was most likely old enough to have been born as a slave and then freed as a young woman. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln enforced the Emancipation Proclamation which freed nearly three million slaves throughout the South.

As Old Phoenix started out as a person of power, she still continued to make an impact on others and the story on her journey. Old Phoenix’s grandson said

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

With this statement, the author clearly depicts Phoenix’s determination to continue down this path despite the challenges of the wild animals. She is determined not to let anything come between her and getting to town for her grandson’s medication. Phoenix may be old and worn, but her determination motivates her to continue.

Welty writes, “With her hands on her knees, the old woman waited, silent, erect, and motionless, just as if she were in armor” (318; 85). However, Phoenix manages to regain her senses after a few minutes, explaining to the nurses, “It was my memory had left me. There I sat and forgot why I made my long trip” (318; 88). She continually takes her personal shortcomings in stride and has an obvious wit about her, which she uses to her advantage. When she is offered some pennies by an attendant, Phoenix instantly replies, “[f]ive pennies is a nickel” (319; 100). The quick thinking earns her some additional money and allows her to purchase a gift for her grandson. Despite being elderly and often forgetful, Phoenix persists in her journey with experienced fortitude.

In "A Worn Path", a short story by Eudora Welty, the main character, an old colored woman named Phoenix, slowly but surely makes her way down a "worn path" through the woods. Throughout her journey, she runs into many obstacles such as a thorny bush and a hunter. She overcomes these obstacles and continues with her travels. She finally reaches her destination, the doctor’s office, where she gets medicine for her sick grandson back home. Many critics have speculated that this short story represents the love a grandmother shows for her grandson. Others say this story represents life and death, where Phoenix represents an immortal figure. Dennis J. Sykes disagrees with the other critics by saying,

If somebody was to read “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, and take it for its face value, that person would miss out on a great deal of insight that the story provides. Welty’s masterpiece is riddled with symbolism, so much that there are hundreds of speculations and theories about what the short literary work is actually saying. At face value, “A Worn Path” is a story about an old woman named Phoenix Jackson who travels down the Old Natchez Trail to a village to purchase medicine for her sickly grandson. One of the most intriguing aspects of the story was the mental state of Phoenix Jackson. She might be a normal, sane lady who uses her old age and the story of her dying grandson to steal money from people (Forest Tate).

Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" is a story that emphasizes the natural symbolism of the

She expresses her joy in accomplishing this feat by saying, "I wasn't as old as I thought"(213). The reader may notice that throughout the book Phoenix Jackson is referred to as 'Old Phoenix', 'Old' being in capital letters suggest that it's more than just an adjective describing her but rather a part of her. Even when she arrives into town, she needs another ladies assistance in tying her shoes, because she cannot do it herself. And the struggle continues, as even when she's at the hospital, she forgets the reason for her journey momentarily.