Rhonda Marshall Ashlyn Dugan English Composition II 21 March 2015 Eudora Welty: Characters with Mythical Themes Eudora Welty was an author who wrote short stories about the great south. She used mystical elements to compose her work. She wanted to give her readers something to compare her characters to in everyday life. In Eudora Welty’s stories, “The Worn Path” and “Death of a Traveling Salesman” these mythical themes are seen in her work. Her stories were written during a time when life wasn’t easy and times were hard in the South. As written in an online biography by Suzanne Marrs, Eudora Welty grew up in a close-knit and loving family. She inherited from her father, Christian Webb Welty, “a love for all instruments that …show more content…
instruct and fascinate, “from her mother Chestina Andrews Welty, a passion for reading and for language. From her brothers she shared bonds of devotion, camaraderie and humor. After attending college she worked at WJDX radio station and wrote society columns for a Memphis newspaper. Her first publication was a short story in 1936, “Death of a Traveling Salesman.” It was said to be one of the best stories anyone have ever read. In “The Worn Path” Eudora Welty’s focus was centered on an elderly African American woman.
She put focus on determination because Phoenix Jackson was determined to walk to the big city to get medicine for her grandson’s throat. Even though she encountered a few obstacles along the way she was determined to continue her journey. As stated from the online Collected Works of Eudora Welty, the path she was taking ran up a hill. “Seems like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far, she said, in the voice of argument old people keep to use with themselves.” “Something always takes a hold of me on this hill.” Phoenix was tired from climbing the hill, but relieved and felt accomplished that she made it. “At the foot of this hill was a place where a log was laid across the creek.” “Now comes the trial, said Phoenix”. Phoenix crossed over the log and made it across the creek. She replied, “I wasn’t as old as I thought.” That’s faith and determination that Eudora Welty had coming through the character …show more content…
Phoenix. In “Death of a Traveling Salesman”, it is focused on a salesman named R.J. Bowman, who has been selling shoes for fourteen years. He’s back at work from recovering from the flu and has a terrible accident. He was lost on a road and drives his car to the edge of a ravine. R.J. was able to get out of the car before it falls over. His car doesn’t crash because it is caught up tangled in vine leaves and lands to the ground safely. The message here that Eudora Welty is delivering is a shoe salesman is in the last days of his life. R.J. recovered from the flu with the help of a hotel doctor and nurse. His car almost crashed, but it didn’t due to the vine leaves being a safety net protecting his car. Eudora Welty used mythical elements in the stories that she wrote. In “The Worn Path” Phoenix has a lot in common with a mythical bird. Phoenixes are red and gold and are known for their endurance and dignity. Phoenix is described as wearing a red handkerchief with undertones of gold and is quite brave and determined in her journey for the medicine her grandson needs to survive. Apparently Phoenix didn’t have transportation to drive to the big city to get her grandson’s medicine. She had to do her journey on foot and wasn’t going to stop until she made it there. Phoenix is a woman of pride, determination and dignity. In “Death of a Traveling Salesman” the husband Sonny is being compared to Prometheus.
As stated in Dictionary.com, Prometheus, in classical mythology, the Titan is the one who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans and also has become a symbol of lonely and valiant resistance to authority. Sonny comes home after a hard day from work fussing with his boss and he’s full of strength and endurance. Eudora Welty was influenced and wrote about the things she saw, read and heard about in everyday life. She grew up in the South during a time when desegregation was going on. In an online article by the ClarionLedger.com Eudora Welty was so angry about the Medgar Evers’ assassination in Jackson, MS. She wrote a short story titled, “Where Is the Voice Coming From? The story is about the life and events of Medgar Evers’ leading up to his death. His death had a real impact on Eudora Welty and she wanted to tell his story through this
book. There’s a message in an authors work that they compose. Eudora Welty’s message in “A Worn Path” speaks of determination and being brave. Evan though Phoenix had made this trip on several occasions nothing or no one could stop her from going to the city to get her grandson’s medicine. Faith and determination were definitely on her side and more than likely Phoenix had a spiritual side to her as well. That’s were faith comes into place she was able to make the trip without any complaints and she didn’t let society and the negative comments discourage her alone the way. In the story “Death of a Traveling Salesman”. A shoe salesman is in the last days of his life. Here R.J. has been a traveling salesman of shoes for years, but one day he almost lost his life, but gained help from Sonny and his wife. R.J. is under the impression that the couple admits that they have knowledge about his life. Eudora Welty has a history of writing several short stories that have recurring themes of southern writing and mythical subjects. Welty was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. That’s where her southern influence from story writing originated from.
Eudora Alice Welty practically spent her whole life living in Mississippi. Mississippi is the setting in a large portion of her short stories and books. Most of her stories take place in Mississippi because she focuses on the manners of people living in a small Mississippi town. Writing about the lives of Mississippi folk is one main reason Welty is a known author. Welty’s stories are based upon the way humans interact in social encounters. She focuses on women’s situations and consciousness. Another thing she mostly focuses on is isolation. In almost all of Welty’s earlier stories the main character is always being isolated. Throughout her short stories, a hidden message is always evident. Eudora Welty does a wonderful job of exposing social prejudices in the form of buried messages.
Welty, Eudora. "A Worn Path." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. 142-49.
“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.
In the short story "A Worn Path," the message that Eudora Welty sends to the readers is one of love, endurance, persistence, and perseverance. Old Phoenix Jackson walks a long way to town, through obstacles of every sort, but no obstacle is bad enough to stop her from her main goal. She may be old and almost blind, but she knows what she has to do and won't give up on it. Her grandson has swallowed lye, and she has a holy duty of making her way to town in order to get medicine for him. The wilderness of the path does not scare her off. She stumbles over and over, but she talks herself through every obstacle. Undoubtedly, the theme of perseverance is what Eudora Welty wants to point out to her readers. Just like the name Phoenix suggests
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.
Bartel, Roland. “Life and Death in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path.’” USA: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1998. 45-48
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.
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.
Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 4th Compact Ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008, pp. 95-100.
Word Press editor. “An Analysis of Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path’”. Word press. N.P., April 12,2013. Web. 17 Mar 2014.
“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.
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.
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
Daniel Hawthorn’s “Young Goodman Brown,” Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” and Tim O’Brian’s “The Things They Carried” deal with very different subjects. While “Young Goodman Brown” deals with one man’s efforts to fight against the evils of his heart, “A Worn Path” outlines a determined woman struggling in cold-hearted and ignorant societies. From “The Thing They Carried” obsessive love to Martha, but Martha is focusing on becoming a missionary, Lt. Jimmy’s love for her it will never die. These stories thought seemingly unrelated, have one main thing in common: the writer’s employment of literary technique in different contexts to convey an idea to the reader. Though these literary techniques, between the three stories,
Prometheus, the Titan of Greek mythology, was considered to be the most important Titan ever in all the myths. He helped the human race tremendously in his efforts to sustain an easier lifestyle. Mankind had great respect for him because of his advantages and gifts or abilities he gave them. Also, his battle against Zeus as a result of his love for man was very much appreciated. Prometheus was one of the most interesting Greek mythology figures in his time. He was a very kind, loving, generous, and courteous god to mankind. This can be seen through many events in his life including a particular myth that the reader will acknowledge in this research paper.