During Eudora Welty's lifespan, through the story of "The Worn Path" one will see how this Modernism movement influenced Eudora Welty in creating this story since that was the era she grew up in. According to James Walter he quotes from Eudora Welty saying "One day I saw a solitary old woman like Phoenix. She was walking; I saw her, at middle distance, in a winter country landscape, and watched her slowly make her way across my line of vision. The site of her made me write the story...." This quote shows that after observing that woman, Eudora Welty was inspired to write the "The Worn Path". Eudora Welty grew up in Mississippi and during her time she saw many racial tensions in the south from segregation. The story's setting is based on the Natchez Trace trail which is located in Tennessee and is also part of the Trail of tears. Though there are other aspects, one can …show more content…
24 February 1966], Phoenix is "clearly a symbol of Christ" and her journey reverberates with symbols from the Christian tradition. Neil D. Isaacs argues [in "Life for Phoenix," Sewanee Review, Vol. 71, 1963] that throughout the story are “allusions to and suggestions of the Christ-myth at large and the meaning of Christmas in particular”; moreover, that “the whole story is suggestive of a religious pilgrimage” by which Phoenix, “with an abiding intuitive faith, arrives at the shrine of her pilgrimage.” James Welty compares the main character Phoenix to Christ meaning they both represent life and love. These idea meaning that Christ in Christianity gives up his life to save the world; just like Phoenix goes and risks hers to prolong her grandson's life for the power of love.Being a modernist Welty may also have used ideas from where she grew up as a Christian as tools symbolize the character's theme of love. Using of Christianity allusion and some analogies of Christmas Eudora Welty uses Phoenixes love to as a symbol of her
In Eudora Welty 's "A Worn Path" the reader is told of the journey of Phoenix Jackson an elderly African-American woman. Beginning the story, her journey appears irrelevant. Jackson travels through the woods and over hills powering through the many hardships that an elderly woman would face. Towards the conclusion of this story, a reader recognizes the meaning of Phoenix’s journey. Through the entire story she has been journeying to obtain medicine for her grandson that had fallen ill from “swallowing lye"(p. 105). In Welty’s story it is easily recognizable to the reader that the theme of the story is how one will face extreme hardships for the ones that they love, specifically Phoenix struggles with her vision, being senile, and just the burden
The first way Phoenix is an archetypal hero is because she is full of mysterious and obscure origin. Some ways she is full of mysterious and obscure origin is that it is not clear where she comes from or who her parents are. A second way is that she was a slave. And Finally she has been through hard times and still works through it. In the story when Phoenix is on her
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
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.
“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.
Gianina, my twin sister, has an irrational dislike of bananas and cheese. She will not knowingly eat anything that has bananas or cheese, and in fact, the simple mention of bananas may very well throw her into a fit. Bizarrely, one of her favorite foods is mango cheesecake and she will quite happily eat anything so long as no one mentions it contains bananas or cheese. Gianina’s predilection annoys me not only because my favorite thing to eat is new york style pizza, but also because it reminds me that as a kid I had an even stranger quirk: I refused to eat Asian food. A word of background is in order. My mother is Chinese, originally from Shanghai. I overlap two cultures because I am half-Chinese and half-Caucasian. As a child, I would walk around the fresh markets in Hong Kong every day with my maid to buy the fresh fish and vegetables that were sure to be steamed and sautéed with vast amounts of oyster sauce. Some days, my father and I would stroll the streets seeing what was out there for I was a curious. As a child, I did not understand why my Dad would turn heads on the str...
“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.
Word Press editor. “An Analysis of Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path’”. Word press. N.P., April 12,2013. Web. 17 Mar 2014.
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.
Phoenix Jackson in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" has been compared to the mythological phoenix because of her birdlike qualities, and it's also been noticed that Phoenix possesses many of the same characteristics as Christ. But, what hasn't been addressed is the fact that Eudora Welty didn't just leave the symbolism to Christ alone. Welty also included many biblical allusions as well. Phoenix Jackson is not only symbolic of the mythological bird that rose from the ashes of its own demise or simply a Christ figure comparable to the Son of God, but she is also a biblical hero facing temptation and trials along her journey and succeeds unharmed and steadfast in her faith.
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.
“Authors use setting to create meaning, just as painters use backgrounds and objects to render ideas.” - Literary Anthology. The setting of "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, takes place on a cold December morning during the 1940 's. In "A Worn Path", the setting allows readers to grasp a better understanding of various components which make up the story. The components are the character qualities, symbols and the mood and atmosphere. The path the main character, Phoenix, follows to the city and what she endures through her journey shows what kind of person Phoenix is and the true qualities of her character. The symbols found in the setting allow a deeper incite to the meaning of the story and why they are present.
'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.