Force Of Determination In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

People in the story seem to have a reverence for the Phoenix which is shown when a white woman stops to help her tie her shoe which would be highly unlikely in the south at the time. Another incident is when the women at the drugstore in town gives her money for no reason.

In “A Worn Path” colors are used to emphasize the depth and breadth of the story, and to reinforce the parallel images of the mythical phoenix and the protagonist Phoenix Jackson. Eudora Welty’s story is rich with references to colors that are both illustrative and perceptive, drawing us in to investigate an additional historical facet of the story.

In “A Worn Path”, Phoenix Jackson’s name symbolizes the mythological bird “Phoenix.” In mythology, the story of the Phoenix is about a large, magical bird that lived for centuries, created a fire for itself, and rose up out of the ashes renewed again. The bird’s color is described as shimmering red and golden/yellow. Eudora describes Phoenix’s skin as “a golden color” and her cheeks “illuminated by a yellow burning in the dark,” and the red bandana she wears around her head also symbolises the colors of the bird. The idea of Phoenix persevering, like the bird, despite what many would see as insurmountable odds is best seen through her meeting with the hunter. Even when the hunter points out how far the journey is to town for Phoenix, she simply answers, “I bound to go to town, mister. The time come around.” She answers without hesitation, showing that the idea of giving up never entered her mind. It is this resilience in the face of adversity that further ties Phoenix to her namesake.

In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” the character Phoenix Jackson is introduced. Phoenix Jackson is an uneducated, African-American woman without any family besides her sick grandson. Phoenix is the hero of this story and fits the role well by delivering much-needed medicine to her grandson. Phoenix shows many distinct traits that reveal her to be a hero to her grandson. The heroic feats she accomplishes pave a path that leads to her satisfaction as well as protection of her most beloved asset, her grandson. Throughout the story, Phoenix’s humble, caring, and determined character is displayed through her actions.

Phoenix shows determination by getting by all of these obstacles and getting to town. Her determination to get to town shows that she would not let anything get in the way of something she knows she must do.

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.

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.

Eudora Welty wrote this story in 1941, a time in America where although African Americans were free, they were still treated as a lesser race by the whites. Phoenix tells the hunter that she is headed to town because “the time come around.” (290) The hunter replies, “I know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going to town to see Santa Claus!” The white hunter is making a stereotype that colored people go to town during winter to see Santa Claus, when in fact the nature of Phoenix’s travel is different. Lastly, before they part ways, the hunter points his gun directly at Phoenix, and asks if the gun does not scare her. She responds, “No sir. I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done.” Since Welty describes Phoenix as being very old, then it is safe to assume that Phoenix lived during a time where black oppression was at its highest. Therefore, since she has through a lot during her days, then having a gun pointed at her does not seem to impact her in any way.

Phoenix might be accustomed to being debilitated and in that capacity, never again fears these dangers. The way that Phoenix lives so distant from town may likewise be huge as it is removing Phoenix from others (and the individuals who live around the local area) that Welty might feature the racial confinement that existed at the time.

At the beginning of the story, Phoenix is described as “Her eyes were blue with age. Her skin has a pattern all of its own numberless branching wrinkles…” (1). This description helps to verify that Phoenix is very old and this will be a difficult trip for a woman of her age. Therefore it is with sheer determination that Phoenix faces another challenge--having to cross a creek by walking over a log. This activity is a difficult

Phoenix also encounters numerous physical obstacles between her and her goal. Shortly after setting out, she becomes entangled in an obstinate bush. She fights what appears to be a losing battle. As Welty describes it, “Her fingers were busy and intent, but her skirts were full and long, so that before she could pull them free in one place they were caught in another” (315; 8). Phoenix seems to maintain a good attitude as she begins to talk to the bush: “Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir. Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush” (315; 8). As she does with all of her other challenges, she

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,

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

Initially, Saunders and I both drew on the important comparison between Welty’s Phoenix Jackson and the large bird known through history as a phoenix. While I chose to highlight the similarities in common traits between Ms. Jackson and the bird, Saunders poses the ideas that Phoenix represents the bird physically. Saunders recalls the red head rag she wears, stating, “The color of that head apparel cannot be accepted as coincidental; recall the scarlet plumage of the ancient bird” (2). Welty likely implements the

When Phoenix's dress is caught in the bush, "it was not possible to allow her dress to tear" (87). She wore this long dress with an equally long apron made of bleached sugar sacks. Phoenix values all of her possessions greatly, including her grandson. When Phoenix was knocked into a ditch by a dog, a hunter confronts her. "He lifted her up, gave her a swing in the air, and set her down" (89). The hunter wants to show off his strength from being young, and his power from being white. He discourages her to continue and treats her with great disrespect. Though, through all of this, old Phoenix keeps her conversation sensitive with sarcasm in her words. Phoenix shows her pride and courage when the hunter points his gun in her face. She remains calm and keeps control of the situation with such a clever response: "I seen plenty [guns] go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done" (89). This was obviously not the first time Phoenix was confronted with death and she refused to let the hunter think he was in control by making her afraid of him. She is full of inner power which consists of her love, experience and sacrificing nature.