Phoenix Jackson In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

Next, Phoenix Jackson endures successive complications, each more difficult than the one before. Firstly, the sun is scorching, and she has to go through a very thorny bush. Further, ahead, she has to climb through a barbed wire fence, which could

She remarks that “The path ran up and hill,” saying that every time she gets this far, “there is chains about [her] feet” and “something always take a hold of [her] on this hill” (Welty). This quote informs the reader that not only is the path Phoenix is taking difficult and uphill, but also that she has made this journey many times before. The forest is beautiful, “deep and still” and sunny, yet it also serves as a hindrance to her progress. The difficulty of the path and setting combined with Phoenix’s continuation onward testify to her perseverant

Phoenix powers through all of these harsh situations with a force powered not so much by physical ability, but by the love she has for her grandson.

In Eudora Welty ‘A Worn Path’ is a short story where symbols are found everywhere throughout many places where you read. This short story is about an old woman named Phoenix Jackson whom was a black African American that was compared to a mythical Arabian bird, and actually that bird lived up to five centuries in desserts and after living those five centuries it would burn up; and then from those same ashes it would then be reborn and it would start from the

The personality of Phoenix Jackson is that as one of a “mad hatter.” Perfectly sane when things are in her sight, but with a vivid imagination many things come to life. The scarecrow, that she saw as a flapping ghost, only to realize after

Although Phoenix Jackson is old, tired, dirty, and poor, nothing can stand in her way. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Phoenix jumps off the page as a vibrant protagonist full of surprises as she embarks on a long, arduous journey to

Phoenix Jackson is a very strong willed woman, she is clever, and she is fearless. Phoenix Jackson’s strong will is clear at the start of her journey when she tells all the animals to get out of her way. “Don’t let none of those pesky animals come running through my direction (1).” When Phoenix makes it the foot of the hill, a log was already laid across the creek. “Putting her right foot out, she stepped on to the log and shut her eyes (2).”

“A Worn Path” is set in the South during a time of racism and injustice. Welty utilizes the setting of the story to help readers understand the struggles and hardships faced along the path and in Phoenix Jackson’s life. Welty also allows readers to fathom the battle faced by all African Americans, especially in the South, during this time period. As Phoenix Jackson makes her way pass the cotton field, Welty describes a figure as, “...something tall, black, and skinny there, moving before her.” As a direct effect of Phoenix Jackson’s surroundings and the time period she is living in, she makes the assumption that the figure was a black male that had been lynched. These were the harsh conditions that she had been exposed to most of her life and yet still she persevered through it all. Phoenix is given an opportunity to give up when Welty writes “Over she went in the ditch, like a little puff of milkweed,” but she finds strength to continue her journey. When the hunter points his gun at Phoenix, she

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.

Phoenix Jackson endures many obstacles along her journey through the worn path. When faced with hardship, she persevered regardless of her difficult circumstances. The reader watches her climb up and down a steep hill that was hard on her feeble body. Then, she comes to a creek with a log lying across it. The reader is aware that Phoenix has a hard time walking, but instead of giving up she faces this extremely dangerous and challenging situation as “…she mounted the log and shut her eyes” (Welty 645). When she gets to the other side she opens her eyes. Welty uses this challenge to show the reader that sometime one must rely on faith to get through trials. Next a barbed wire fence challenges her but she meets it without fear. Eventually, Phoenix encounters a white hunter who tries to persuade her to turn around by pointing his gun at her asking, “Doesn’t the gun

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.

As I previously analyzed Phoenix Jackson’s character, I closely examined the external characteristics that her person consisted of, such as her behavior and physical attributes. In Saunders’ analysis of Phoenix Jackson, he deciphers her in great depth utilizing his extensive research of other works of literature and legends. He comes to the overall conclusion that Jackson is a character that can be dissected in nearly infinite ways depending on the dissector’s point of view. In both of our analysis, we concentrated our focus on differing aspects of Phoenix Jackson that can be mutually supported and formulate another perspective of Phoenix Jackson.

Phoenix Jackson’s, in “A Worn Path,” physical limitations eluded to the difficulties she faces throughout her journey.

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

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,