Phoenix Jackson

Phoenix Jackson's faint mind and physical structure was no obstruction to the insurmountable love she felt toward her grandson. Phoenix demonstrated this on numerous occasions throughout the story.

The same happens to Phoenix Jackson which is making her way into town for her grandson’s medicine; she is ready for the dangers that are to come. It is a cold winter day “tapping the frozen earth” ( Welty189). It is December, around Christmas time; it grows darker as she walks deep into the forest. The old woman must be careful for there are so many dangers leading up the path. There are animals that can harm the old woman. She calls out so that they may not be in her way: “Keep the big wild hogs out of my path” (189). She gives this cry of bravery to alert anything that may cross her way.

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 the short story, “ A Worn Path “ written by Eudora Welty it can be interpreted that Phoenix Jackson is suffering from dementia or some other form of mental illness, and that her grandson that she so lovingly speaks of has been deceased for some time.

Phoenix Jackson had a love for her grandson like no other. In the reading, it shows her love for him in so many ways. Jackson shows her love for him in the motivation to get to town. She goes through many obstacles that would knock anybody down because of her love. Jackson know her grandson needs her love and motivation to get through. “We is the only two left in the world. He suffer and it don't seem to put him back at all. He got a sweet look. He going to last.” Jackson statement shows her love by believing he will get better.

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

As phoenix walks into town, she asks a random woman on the street to tie her shoe. “Thank you missy. I doesn’t mind asking a nice lady to tie my shoe when I gets on the street”, (A Worn Path, 1280) this could be a continuation of the representation of the child-old woman analogy that I described earlier in the essay. As she finds her way into town, she finds her way to the doctor’s office, she then makes a conversation with the nurse and tells her, “We is the only two left in the world. He suffers and it don’t seem to put him back at all. He got a sweet look. He going to last. He wear a little patch quilt and peep out holding his mouth open like a little bird. I remember so plain now. I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time. I could tell him from all the others to creation” (A Worn Path, 1280). I saw this as a representation of how she felt alone in the world, and how she is going to

Phoenix Jackson, an old Negro lady, haltingly struggles with her age while walking through the woods and fields on her way to town. "Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far." Phoenix Jackson walks a worn path and overcomes obstacles and adversity

When she finds herself snagged on a thorn bush, she talks to it as she patiently frees herself. "Thorns, you doing your appointed work Never want to let folks pass-no sir (159)." As Phoenix wobbles along, she comes across a sitting buzzard and in three simple words she lets him know that he will not dine upon her. "Who you watching (160)?" She slowly sways past him and continues her journey, while nature carefully plans the next obstacle. Sure enough, as Phoenix stands and ponders, a big black dog creeps up behind her. "Old woman," she said to herself, "that black dog come up out of the weeds to stall you off (161)." She accepts the fact that the black dog is merely following nature's orders. Phoenix's old body is not as quick as her wit. When Phoenix is startled by the huge mutt, her mind reacts much faster than her body, causing her to drop into a weed-cushioned trench. The old woman is discovered by a young hunter who quickly snatches her out of the ditch. As they converse, Phoenix catches a glimpse of a shiny nickel that drops out of the hunter's pouch. Her mind reacts; her face lights up and she claps her hands. "Look at that dog! She laughed as if in admiration. He ain't scared of nobody. He a big black dog (161)." Knowing that her old body needs plenty of time to grab the nickel, she uses her wit to shift the hunter's attention toward the "fearless"

The story focuses on her determination to help her grandson who is ill because he swallowed lye when he was younger. She faces all types of obstacles like racism, poverty, hard travel, the cold weather and her old age. Phoenix starts by making her way through the wilderness and says, “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals. . . Keep out from under these feet, little bob-whites” since its winter the animals will probably hibernating and this symbolizes her easy travel. The old lady without hesitation continues her journey up the hill. She says, “Seems like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far.” She uses the chains as a sign of slavery since she is a very old lady she might have been through that rough period of time.

She chances her life and difficulties the quality of her body to enable her grandson to recuperate. All through her trip to the town of Natchez, she battled over the slopes and hedges that took a stab at backing her off, and the spring that was a diversion to her goal. Phoenix had slithered through a security barrier and even got thumped around a pooch all through her voyage. "So she cleared out that tree, and needed to experience a spiked metal perimeter. There she needed to crawl and creep, spreading her knees and extending her fingers like a child endeavoring to climb the means." (Welty 388) Phoenix Jackson cherished her grandson so much that she went an "additional mile" to ensure he would get his prescription. Phoenix demonstrated that she was resolved in light of the fact that she remained solid disapproved and steady all through her

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

The determination that Phoenix Jackson had to take care of her suffering grandson was unbearable. Phoenix also goes through many bushes and vines with thorns. She risked her own life under many circumstances to save her grandson’s life. He must the play a great role in her life. “‘We is the only two left in the world.

Before addressing the three moments that Phoenix may have abandoned her mission, I would like to address the Phoenix symbolism in relation to the character Phoenix Jackson. To begin with – the Phoenix of Greek mythology is said to live between 100-500 years before being consumed in fire and then rising, or being reborn again, from the ashes. In the story, Phoenix is asked how old she is, which she replies that she is not sure and that no one really knows. The Phoenix is also known for its solitary nature – aside from the grandson in the story, it does not appear that Phoenix has any family.

        Along with struggling against her old age Phoenix Jackson had many elements of nature holding her back from helping her grandson. She had to travel very far to reach the hospital for his medicine. On her way she encountered many elements of wildlife, of which she scared out of her path. Her dress was constantly caught in the brush and was in danger of being ruined as she passed a barbed wire fence. This also took place during Christmas time when it more than likely was extremely cold out side. But Phoenix's desire to help her grandson, and save his life, while also preserving some life of her own, helped her strive in completing this trip.