The Physical, Social and Mental Obstacles in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

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“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is a short story in which fulfills all aspects of literary connotations. Phoenix Jackson’s only true motivation to keep living was to help keep her young grandson live. While there are a multitude of literary elements and devices splurged throughout the story, some of the first ones to spot make the biggest impact. Phoenix Jackson’s name is revealed in the first three lines of text, and leads the reader to make an immediate assumption. She makes this trek over and over again, continuously, and as she nears the end of her life she will nourish her own son back to health. Her journey to Natchez is filled with a multitude of impediments, but can mainly be broken down into the physical, social, and mental obstacles that hinder her. Almost every physical obstacle that Phoenix encountered is typical of a rural area. The hills, hollows, furrows, and holes are part of the landscape in the deep south. The trek is wearisome for most anyone, but due to Phoenix’s age it was toilsome and extremely demanding. she encounters thorny bushes, animals, a stray dog the l...

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