Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

662 Words2 Pages

Eudora Welty’s Phoenix Jackson, the old African American woman in “A Worn Path,” is primarily an altruistic human being. Welty gives us a picture of Phoenix when she states that, “She wore a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops, and an equally long apron of bleached sugar sacks, with a full pocket: all neat and tidy, but every time she took a step she might have fallen over her shoelaces, which dragged from her unlaced shoes” (par. 2). Despite Phoenix’s ragged appearance, she is on an important journey to alleviate the suffering of her dear grandson, which brings upon an enlightened and enduring characteristic about her. Welty reveals Phoenix’s qualities in three areas of the story: Phoenix’s name, the journey, and the visit to …show more content…

This proves just how self-sacrificing she is. Throughout her journey, Phoenix must overcome obstacles that are intended to prevent her from achieving her goal. She is confronted with both natural obstacles and racially tense encounters, yet she works through them with dignity, grace, and cleverness. Additionally, a courageous quality is brought out in Phoenix while on her journey, especially during her encounter with the hunter. After the hunter points his gun at Phoenix and she does not respond in fear, he tells her that she “must be a hundred years old and scared of nothing” (par. 59). During her long journey, Phoenix becomes exhausted, both physically and emotionally, but remains optimistic. Her faith in God and love for her grandson pushes her through this journey, and although her physical condition is feeble, her powerful mindset allows her to carry on with purpose. When Phoenix reaches the clinic, she is treated with disrespect and the attendant assumes that she is a “charity case” (par. 72). However, this demoting accusation makes Phoenix’s character even stronger. The hostility of the attendant does not stop her, as she is on a mission. She endures the humiliation in order to get medicine for her grandson that will relieve his suffering. Phoenix’s main focus is to retrieve her grandson’s medicine, and this shows how selfless that she

Show More
Related

  • Life Struggles of Phoenix in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    Her trip is full of obstacles, from bushes of thorns that get caught in her dress, to her crossing of a creek. These elements complicate the conflict and increase the readers' curiosity about the plot. Phoenix can't trust her eyes, choosing instead to walk along with her eyes closed and sense her way with the help of her cane. While needed rest forces her to stop for a while, she has a vision of a little boy handing her a slice of marble cake. So many questions arise in the minds of the readers. Who was the little boy? Is she halluci...

    Read More

  • Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Imagery In A Worn Path By Eudora Welty

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Significance of the Mistletoe in Eudora Welty's 'A Worn Path

    904 Words  | 2 Pages

    After struggling up a hill, extricating herself from a thorn bush, and crossing a log over a creek, Phoenix Jackson, the aged and infirm protagonist of Eudora Welty's short story "A Worn Path," sits down on the banks of the creek for a rest:

    Read More

  • Phoenix Jackson In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Phoenix’s perception of her environment increases the importance of her actions, when she conquers the hill, when she moves past the hunter in the dark glade, and when she enters the Christmas town, all help broadcast of all Phoenix’s resilience, strength of character and selflessness respectively. Phoenix herself is a symbol of moving forward through adversity against all odds, which is reflected by the environments she traverses through the

    Read More

  • Eudora Welty A Worn Path Analysis

    438 Words  | 1 Pages

    Phoenix Jackson was on a long journey up hills and through forest and fields. She says “Seems like there are chains about my feet.” She knows that the journey was hard and would be bad for her body. When reading the story we realize that the fire in Phoenix for her loving grandson keeps her going through the long journey. Her journey may have been long, but she is doing it for someone she loves.

    Read More

  • Immortal Ideas In "A Worn Path"

    2017 Words  | 5 Pages

    Upon a first reading of Eudora Welty’s, “A Worn Path”, it appears to be a simple story about an old woman going into town to procure medicine for her sick grandson, who has swallowed lye (Welty 3). After further readings and doing research, the deep meaning and depth of the story becomes apparent. The worn path is much more than a routine route regularly traversed into town and back to home. The protagonist Phoenix Jackson has many more layers than the way she is perceived as an apparent no account drifter, charity case, whose only reason to head into town is to see Santa Clause (Welty 2). There is significant meaning behind the interactions with people, places, and objects that Phoenix crosses paths with on her journey into town. Every interaction and situation presents Phoenix with the opportunity to learn and grow as a person and as a culture. The sick grandson represents more than a sick boy at home waiting for medicine to heal his physical ailment (Welty 3). Welty uses a myriad of symbols to tell the story of the long and arduous journey blacks take going from slavery to free Americans. A journey that takes lifetimes of accumulating knowledge, gaining wisdom, and then passing everything learned to the children. The next generation builds on to, and hones the gained wisdom and further refines the knowledge as they pass it on to the next generation. It is the gained wisdom that is constantly reborn like the Phoenix in mythology (Mercantante 527). In, “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson symbolizes the past and present population of black Americans and the worn path represents her experiences and the wisdom she has gained, soon to be reincarnated in her grandson, the future generation of black America.

    Read More

  • A Worn Path Compare/Contrast Essay

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although it’s a long and treacherous route to Natchez, Phoenix has a wealth of previous experience. Every time she has done this though, she has faced great discouragement. The doctor who provides her with the medicine time and time again tries to demoralize Phoenix by claiming that the grandson’s sickness is “an obstinate case”. Although faced with hearing this dispiriting comment every time she visits the doctor, Phoenix stays determined and continues to make the journey for medicine as many times as needed. This inner determination is also what allows her to face the many obstacles and hardships found on the path itself. When she encounters animals in her way that cause her trouble, she firmly says, “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!...Don’t let none of those running my direction. I got a long way.” These animals attempt to cause hardship for Phoenix, however she stands stronger than ever. The doctor and animals could have easily caused Phoenix to give up, but Phoenix’s love for her grandson as a true parent invigorates her determination letting her continue on this journey no matter setbacks are thrown at

    Read More

  • Welty’s A Worn Path: The Strength of Love

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are also mental obstacles that obstruct Phoenix’s journey.  She has to triumph over her weariness because of her old age and her mental fatigue.  As she is walking her mind plays tricks on her, such as the time when she is in the field and mistakes the scarecrow for a dark mysterious figure that she is frightened of.  Another time is when she talks to herself and the animals in the woods.  She tells them not to get in her way because she has a long trip ahead of her.  The love that one person gives to another is never truly appreciated until the recipient realizes what that person has actually done.  The grandson may be too ill or even too young to realize what his grandmother is doing for his safety.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of A Worn Path By Eudora Welty

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    As she is still traveling the woods, she continues to have many obstacles come her way. Phoenix has to walk down a big hill, but as that was happening a bush caught her dress. She couldn’t be slowed down now and that is when she says "I in the thorny bush. 'Thorns, you doing your appointed work, never want to let folks pass- no, sir." (Welty). The author shows ambition through these words. Although her dress is caught in a bush, nothing is going to stop her from getting to her grandson 's medicine. She has come to far to give up now. After awhile, Phoenix decides to stop and rest by a tree and has to go through a barbed-wire fence. "There she had to creep and crawl, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb steps" (Welty). Ambition appears. Phoenix is an old woman who can barely walk and now she is on her hands and knees crawling through a fence because she is willing to get to her destination by any

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis: "A Worn Path"

    1647 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Phoenix's Hardships and Racism in A Worn Path

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s December when Phoenix starts on her journey to Natchez and it is a journey she has taken many times before. This journey is no journey an elderly and weaken person should have to make by themselves, yet Phoenix does. She does not allow her age or her condition to keep her from it. Deep through the pines, the path takes her, and her first task would be to make it over a hill that seems to take all her energy and strength. “Seems like there is chains around my feet, time I get this far…” (Welty 5), here the reader can tell Phoenix does not have the strength that she really needs to make it up the hill. Yet somewhere she finds the will to keep pushing on and moving forward. This same type of spirit that allows Phoenix to keep pushing forward in society, and not to back down. Showing the younger generation that you have to fight your way through to a brighter day. It is later down the path that Phoenix comes to a creek and the only way to get across, is by walking on a log. Phoenix walks across this log with her eyes close. Once across she opens her eyes and says, “I wasn’t as old as I ...

    Read More

  • A Worn Path By Eudora Welty

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    Phoenix’s journey is a little long just by walking alone in the middle of the

    Read More

  • Theme of Determination in "A Worn Path"

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • The Character of Phoenix Jackson in Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    Phoenix's precarious journey may seem dangerous, but her determination is what carries her through the obstacles she faces as she makes her way through the woods. Phoenix makes her way across the worn path and discovers many active opponents. She continues forward over barriers that would not even be considered a hindrance for the young. The long hill that she takes tires her, the thornbrush attempts to catch her clothes, the log that Phoenix goes across endangers her balance as she walks across it, and the barbed-wire fence threatens to puncture her skin. All of these impediments that Phoenix endures apparently do not affect her because she is determined that nothing will stop her on her journey. She keeps proceeding onward letting nothing deter her determination. ?The hunter(tm)s attempt to instill fear in Phoenix, a fear she disposed of years ago as she came to terms with her plight in society, fail  (Sykes 151). She ?realizes that the importance of the trip far exceeds the possible harm that can be done to her brittle ...

    Read More

More about Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

Open Document