A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

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Recommended: a worn path explanation

As Kurt Vonnegut states in Breakfast of Champions, “Symbols can be so beautiful, sometimes,” show that without symbols stories and even life is boring and not beautiful (. Everything need symbolic connections in order to become deep and beautiful. Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” show how greatly symbols help make stories become very beautiful and symbolic to a person. In “A Worn Path” an elderly women, Phoenix Jackson, is making a trip to town to get medicine for her grandson. All of the symbols in Welty story all help grow and turn “A Worn Path” into a beautifully written story. Eudora Welty’s short story, “A Worn Path” uses symbolism to show the true meaning of the main characters, Phoenix Jackson, need for the journey; as well as show the true meaning of Phoenix’s name.
According to the Webster Dictionary symbolism is the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature. Symbolism is used in almost every written work of art and by almost every writer. With the help of symbolism the authors are able to put pictures into the readers head and also help the readers make their own connections to the stories. In fact what one symbol means to the author could mean something totally different to the reader. So through symbolism the reader is able to make the authors story into their “own” story. Eudora Welty used symbolism through the connections to Phoenix Jackson along with the trip she takes. Welty connects Phoenix to the well known Egyptian mythology of the phoenix. She also connects the path taken by Phoenix as a path needed to keep Phoenix alive. Another symbolic reference in “A Worn Path” is all the connections to Phoenix’s death. So symbolism is very important in helping stories...

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...hat he is to keep on living. Lastly, through Phoenix tapping the ground with her cane and descending the stairs at the end of the story, it is believed that Phoenix dies at the end of the story. Through symbols Eudora Welty's story, "A Worn Path," grows and becomes truly beautiful just like Kurt Vonnegut says in Breakfast of Champions, "“Symbols can be so beautiful, sometimes."

Works Cited

Bartel, Roland. "Life and Death in Eudora Welty's 'A Worn Path'." EXPLORING Short Stories. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Donlan, Dan. "A Worn Path: Immortality of Stereotype." EXPLORING Short Stories. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
"Phoenix (mythology)." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
Welty, Eudora. ""A Worn Path"" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.

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