Have you ever heard the saying “A heart filled with love is like a Phoenix that no cage can imprison”? In the short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, the character Phoenix Jackson portrays this saying perfectly. Phoenix was an old Negro woman who struggled with poor eyesight and had a different outlook on the world. However, the love she had for her sick Grandson was unconditional and led her to take her journey, on foot, to a medical clinic where she received his medication. Throughout the story, realism is a powerful symbol and is substantially applied in a variety of ways amongst the character Phoenix Jackson and the challenges she has to overcome. In the short story “A Worn Path,’ the first characteristic of realism is that the story takes place on a December day in both the wilderness and in a town. Throughout the setting, Phoenix Jackson is a believable character with an ordinary life who overcomes multiple obstacles that an ordinary person would come to face. Phoenix has poor eyesight and is not wealthy in the slightest way, and her sick grandson needs her help getting his medication. Phoenix Jackson is a character who is more important than the plot of the story. The focus of …show more content…
No matter how distracted she got or how many challenges she faced due to her poor eyesight, she still kept her mind set on getting to the town of Natchez (where the medical clinic was). She maintained her strength and courage to keep moving towards her destination. She never looked back or thought about returning home, even when the man said she should. When she arrived to town, she asked a lady to lace her shoe because she was unable too, considering she had a cane. The lady tied them for her even though she had her hands full. She laid down the presents in her hands and helped Phoenix. This symbolizes kindness and showed how thankful Phoenix was for all her
Phoenix Jackson's grandson needs medicine, and she is willing to walk through a frozen path with many obstacles for him. Phoenix Jackson came face to face with many dangerous situations. Such as falling in a ditch, being attacked by dogs, having a gun pointed at her, etc. “He not able to help himself. So the time came around and i go on another trip for the soothing medicine” (p.53) In this quote she is explaining to the secretaries how sick her grandson is and that she is willing to do anything to help him.
During the time period this story was written was in 1941 WWII had just begun, but not only that, but also of poverty that was a reality to many—particularly to blacks and people in rural areas. The title itself, “A Worn Path,” refers to life as the journey through a worn path. Obstacles that Phoenix Jackson faced shows the real-life hardships, lies, and aggressions, that minorities face. Despite its simplicity, Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” does show us some of the greatest of life’s realities. The writer starts the story using racial description and symbolism to describe Phoenix Jackson.
Phoenix Jackson had a vivid description painted for herself by the author. Phoenix was a small and frail elderly Negro woman. She wore a red rag tied upon her head holding up her yet black, curly hair that fell into ringlets. Upon her, she wore a long and dark striped dress with an equally long apron over the top of it. Upon her feet were untied tennis shoes. She always carried her thin and small cane with her, which was actually an umbrella. Her old eyes were blue with age, and her skin had become a pattern of numberless branching wrinkles. By being able to create a vivid picture of Phoenix, the author has allowed a connection between her character and the reader where the reader can now comprehend Pho...
“A Worn Path” is a short story written by Eudora Welty. It is a story of an elderly black woman’s journey into town for her grandson’s medicine. Using lots of imagery throughout the story, the narrator tells us that the woman, Phoenix Jackson takes this dangerous journey out of love for her grandson who is in need of medicine. Throughout her journey, she encounters many people who are of great importance to the story.
“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.
There are multiple themes in this fictional story. Some themes presented in this story include racism, family, and responsibility. The most prominent theme is the age and perseverance, because the protagonist is predisposed to failure given her age but her tenacity keeps her going. “A Worn Path” tells the story of a courageous elderly African American woman named Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix endangers her life to get a charity medicine for her grandson, who is unable to fully heal because of a lye accident.
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, "A parallel exists between the journey described and the plight of the Southern blacks after the Civil War" (Sykes). Ultimately, Eudora Welty demonstrates how blacks have been persecuted in a white world.
“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.
"A Worn Path," by Eudora Welty is a heartbreaking story about the heroic trip of an old African American woman, Phoenix. The readers won't find out right away the plot of the story or why Phoenix won't give up her exhausting trip to town-the conflict of this story-especially on a very cold day. The title, "A Worn Path," indicates that Phoenix has obviously walked down this path many times before-also the fact that she can cross a creek with her eyes closed confirms the title's message.
Eudora Welty presents the short story “A Worn Path” in a remarkable way, revealing a lot of symbolism. It travels around multiple themes throughout the story about an old aged woman walking through a grueling trail to a town to gather medicine for her grandson in Mississippi. This short story takes places in December on a “bright frozen day” where an old Negro woman arises by the name of Phoenix Jackson. I believe she signifies a struggle, but when looking at her a bit deeper, she mostly signifies willpower (Welty, 502). As she goes towards the town on the path, she appears to have walked numerous times before; she has to overcome many problems. What’s important is that with each move she takes it looks to be pretty sluggish, but yet a steady move in the direction of her goal. The story gives an understanding to the determination and confidence of Phoenix Jackson to point out the belief of people in identical lives of endless struggle. In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty reveals the idea that sometimes our lives can be a lot like an obstacles course, which are made up of difficulties that we have to overcome somehow.
... ailment and she knows that "faith will heal the sick" (James 5:15). Phoenix is so confident in her faith that even while traveling through silent cornfields, crossing streams, and braving a swamp, she makes the journey with her eyes firmly clamped shut. For as it says in Scripture, "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).
In the story A Worn Path, Eudora Welty shows an old woman living in a time period where racial prejudice is rampant and out of control. Phoenix Jackson is a grandmother whose only motivation for living is to nurture her grandson back to health. The strength of love may make people do or say unusual and implausible things. The central idea of this story is that love can empower someone to over come many life-threatening obstacles. The idea is shown when an old woman conquers all odds against her to show her everlasting love for her grandson. Throughout the story Phoenix Jackson has to overcome many types of obstacles that hinder her in her devotion to help her grandson.
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.
'A Worn Path' is the tale of the unstoppable love and care of a grandmother for her grandchild. Phoenix Jackson is Eudora Welty's main character and protagonist in A Worn Path.? Phoenix is an old, frail woman who attempts to proceed on a long and treacherous journey through the woods to Natchez. Phoenix strives forward despite frequent obstacles in her way that include her own failing health and her grandchild's slim chance of survival. As she takes this prolonged trek across the woods, many of her characteristics are revealed. Her tenacity, senility, and consideration that she displays throughout her long worn path emphasize her character.
In Eudora Welty’s, “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson went great lengths risking her own life for her grandson, who couldn’t help himself. On her worn path she faced the world with courage. Although she faced difficulty in her early life, her faith remained the same to help those who were dear to her heart. She walk a worn path relentlessly facing obstacles along the way with a mind that is diminishing overtime. Through the problems that she is faced with, she remains humble. She is admirable because considering her old age, weakness and loss of memory, she is determined. Welty’s details of character, symbolism, conflict and theme creates a compelling and fierce Phoenix Jackson. The moral message in this short story is to show the setting and characterizations