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…
this story is the symbolism and importance Phoenix has. “Sun so high!” she cried. Leaning back and looking while the thick tears went over her eyes. “The time getting all gone here.”” She symbolizes a Phoenix Bird which is an example of resurrection and renewal, and represents the sun, time, concentration, life in the heavenly paradise, Christ, the exceptional man, and many more things. She doesn’t let the challenges she faces prevent her from doing what she believes is right and what she feels she needs to do for the sake of her Grandson. The true meaning behind her character starts to unravel throughout her journey on “The Worn Path” to the medical clinic. Another symbol of realism is when she stumbles across a man who tests her faith in getting to her Grandson. He had scared off a dog with his gun and when he returned to Phoenix, he pointed it at her and said “Doesn’t this gun scare you?” “No, sir. I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done.” She replied. The man treated her like she was a lost cause and should not be out making the journey that she was. However, she still continued to keep moving forward. This symbolizes the strength and faith that she has and also symbolizes “time.” Last, Phoenix controlled her destiny by keeping herself motivated and moving in the right direction.
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
help. When Phoenix entered the medical clinic, she was confronted by an attendant and a nurse. The attendant was not very polite as she said “Are you deaf?” when Phoenix did not respond. When the nurse came in, she explained why Phoenix was there. Phoenix had entered a daze and forgot why she was there in the first place. Even though she had lost her sense to remember, she continued on her journey. She had the freedom and desire to get to where she needed to be, despite the hardships she had to face and overcome. “A heart filled with love is like a Phoenix that no cage can imprison” is one of the most relevant sayings regarding Phoenix Jackson. She challenged not only herself, but society and her ability and determination. “A Worn Path” demonstrates realism in such a way that even the human race and society are left to question their ordinary, believable lives.
"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.
Strength is the only reason Phoenix accomplished her journey and Phoenix's love for her only living relative is her greatest strength of all. Although the old Negro woman suffers from many handicaps, she starts her journey mentally prepared for the obstacles awaiting her. Phoenix uses her inner strengths and prevails over every barrier. She relies on her trustworthy feet to make up for her impaired vision. Her wit makes up for her frail body. Her determination makes up for her aged memory. But most of all, her love for her grandson her keeps her going. Clearly, the frail, forgetful, and loving old woman can overcome anything.
“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.
... 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).
Phoenix Jackson is a great archetypal hero. Phoenix is full of mysterious and obscure origin, she has a goal, and she is not the same after emerging from the darkness of her descent. Not all heroes are
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.
Phoenix Jackson was a tough woman for her age. Living only with her sick grandson, Phoenix had little company and no other companions. Therefore, she suffered from being lonely. Living far away from any services of a town, Phoenix would make the difficult journey to the closest town whenever her grandson ran out of his medicine. She was so determined to help her grandson that nothing else really mattered.
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” 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.
“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 third person narrator is not omniscient and does not provide the thoughts of Phoenix or any other characters. The audience is only aware of the characters that Phoenix introduced to us and are only aware of conversations if Phoenix engages them herself. However, the narrator is also objective in this story. When Phoenix states, "God watches me the whole time.
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 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