Symbolism In A Worn Path

A worn path is a story full of strong mythological figures, but the one we see the most is the phoenix. The phoenix is a very large bird with coloring of scarlet and gold, we are told that Phoenix Jackson has gold coloring. From her appearance and also name we can actually tell that Phoenix is the physical embodiment of the mythological creature the phoenix. We have found that the most amazing power that the phoenix has is determination.

In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Phoenix Jackson demonstrates that people often overcome obstacles for loved ones. In her journey, Jackson faces physical, mental and social obstacles, but she overcome all of those obstacles and shows the reader of her perseverance. First of all, Jackson faces physical obstacles in her journey. She is a small, old African American women who does not have a proper dress for her journey. She dress up herself with a long apron and unlaced shoes.

The short story "A Worn Path," is around an old African American woman named Phoenix Jackson who makes an arduous trip into town needing prescription for her sick grandson. Amid her outing she talks resoundingly to herself in an urging way to bear the troublesome trek. She has made this trek commonly some time recently, yet this one appears to be essentially harder to oversee. After her daring endeavors and love for her lone grandson, she is effective at recovering the solution. Shockingly, the creator persuades it might have been her final excursion on the way into town. Creator Eudora Welty utilizes imagery, symbolism, and theme in "A Warn Path" to delineate the principle character's hindrances and difficulties to accomplish her

Eudora Welty uses partial third person to evoke sympathy from the reader for Phoenix Jackson by revealing her thoughts in the conversations she has with herself. In these conversations, readers get a glimpse of her deteriorating mental clarity and health that comes with age. Her growing senility can be seen when she sees the scarecrow as a ghost. She tells the scarecrow, “who’d you be the ghost of? For I have heard of nary death close by” (Welty235). Readers are drawn into Phoenix’s hardship through statements like, “it was my memory had left me. there I sat and forgot why I had made the trip” (Welty 239). In everyday life, one can both sympathize and relate to her hardships, struggles, and triumphs. In “The Worn Path”, Eudora Welty describes Phoenix Jackson in a such a manner, the reader feels as if Phoenix is right in front of him/her; this can seen in the visual images of skin having “numberless branching wrinkles as though a whole tree stood in the middle of her forehead”, or “she is very old and small” (Welty233). My favorite description of Phoenix is “she walked slowly in the dark pine

Eudora Welty’s short story, A Worn Path, circles around a brave old lady named Phoenix. Published in 1940, this story highlights what may have been a struggle for a colored woman in this time. As Phoenix sets off for town she encounters different situations. Of course Phoenix’s journey is not easy, but Welty uses her and her journey to remind readers that no one is perfect, walk by faith, and have courage by all means.

The short story A Worn Path is literally a story about an old woman taking a walk during the winter over a path she has known so well in order to get medicine for her grandson. When we magnify this story takimg a much closer look through an allegorical lens, we find this path to be representational of the old woman’s life. This paper will aim to provide symbolic references in order to support my reading that the path represents Phoenix Jackson’s memories throughout her life. This includes the trials and tribulations she encountered from slavery to freedom which she is now reflecting on while actively dying.

In the second paragraph of “A Worn Path”, Eudora Welty describes Phoenix Jackson’s physical appearance. Phoenix Jackson’s physical appearance represents the hard life that she has faced because of her race and gender and also the perseverance and spirit that she has gained from her hard life. The author describes her dress, shoelaces, wrinkles and, complexion to give us insight into the life of Phoenix Jackson and both African Americans and women at the time.

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.

Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” used the mythological bird the Phoenix through Phoenix Jackson in an interesting way. This story has been described as herculean following the since of labors or obstacles Phoenix Jackson went through. This story was a story of determination past all the obstacles Phoenix Jackson would face.

“A Worn Path” is a short story written by Eudora Welty. It is based on an elderly African-American grandmother named Phoenix Jackson, who goes for a walk to the town of Natchez on a cold December morning to get some medicine for her ailing grandson. This story speaks of the obstacles Phoenix endured along the way and how she overcame them. The theme, central idea or message that the author wishes to convey to his or her readers, in “A Worn Path” is one of determination. Phoenix Jackson is determined to get to Natchez, in order to get medicine for her grandson; she does not let any obstacles get in her way. The theme of determination is shown in many ways throughout this short story.

The main character in "A Worn Path" is named Phoenix Jackson. How the author describes Phoenix is as an old colored woman who is taking a trip. Through out the story readers can see that Phoenix is very committed, along with other things, to the journey she is taking. . Phoenix Jackson is a determined, frightless, and caring woman.

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,

The story of A Worn Path goes perfectly with the title; it is a slow paced mood with lots of symbolic messages associated with life. Phoenix Jackson is just representation of one person reaching a simple goal but for her may take a little more effort. Bound by her physical ailments of being old, slow, and brittle she never turns back giving up her goal. Through the symbolic obstacles that author Eudora Welty so cleverly puts together, puts a sense of what everyone goes through in life. Eudora Welty brings forth a theme; with enough persistence and boldness we can overcome any obstacle that we face and reach our goal. As we go through our life no matter what circumstances we may be in, there should be nothing that keeps us from achieving. Just like Phoenix Jackson she works towards a goal so important to her heart; she doesn’t let any obstacle come in her way.

“A Worn Path” tells of an elderly and frail black woman and of the hardships that she must overcome. Upon reading the story, you realize that there is more to the story than meets the eye. She faces many roadblocks along her way. Phoenix faces many dangerous obstacles along her way, for a person of her age. She faces racism from some of characters she meets along the way. Phoenix faces inferior treatment, as though she is nothing more than some insect to squash. This story is about not only her ‘journey’ to Natchez, but also about her journey through society and the struggle to overcome the dangers, being treated inferior, and the racism.

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.