Racism In A Worn Path And Desiree's Baby

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Racism In A Worn Path And Desiree's Baby In both of the stories A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, and Desiree‘s Baby by Kate Chopin. The encounters of Phoenix and Desiree show two different readings that deal with a common theme of impending the black and white racial issue in America. There are lots of references to racism in both of the readings. Throughout the short story A Worn Path, there are many events related to racism when Phoenix walking along an extremely difficult path to the town and get the medicine for her grandson. The first event is that when she meets the white hunter. First he appears as a kind and a friendly person , he suggested Phoenix to return home , however , she refused the hunter 's suggestion , because she is on a mature and important mission of love. Then the hunter made a racist joke to Phoenix, "I know you colored people! Wouldn't miss going to town to see Santa Claus!" Second event is that when Phoenix entered clinic, she has been treated unfairly because she is black. "A charity case, I suppose," said an attendant who sat at the desk before her."(Welty70) ,"" Are you deaf?" cried the attendant."(Welty 75). The attendant rudely asked whether she is deaf because she didn't answer her questions immediately and Phoenix referred as a charity case .Phoenix performed a great sacrifice for her grandson, but the attendant 's behavior shows she is childish. Phoenix Jackson accepted the harsh circumstances of her life and moves on. The racism feature is the main theme in the short reading " Desiree's Baby. There are racism events happens when throughout the story. Desiree's Baby took place when racism was way too prevalent. After Desiree married to Armand , they birthed a baby. When the child grows, the ski... ... middle of paper ... ...t not judge the people by looking at their races, like the old says" don't judge a book by its cover. In the reading, the pride of Armand was greater than the love for his wife and their baby, which destroyed Desiree and their baby's life and led to a sad ending. In Welty 's short story "A Worn Path", Phoenix is an old black woman who has no education after Phoenix was freed from slavery, and the racism was still way too prevalent after the Civil War. Her pride of love that she wants to get the medicine for her grandson and go through the woods no matter how difficult was it and no matter how unfair the society is ,there is nothing can able to stop her way. In both stories Desiree's baby and A Worn Path showed a great representation to the readers about the struggles of racial issues in South U.S and people went through. The world has changed when time moves on.

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