“A Worn Path” is a story about an African American woman named Phoenix Jackson who travels through the wilderness and faces obstacles to get medicine for her grandson who is ill. In the short story “A Worn Path” Eudora Welty used a manifold of literary techniques in order to convey a deeper meaning of her story. Although there were multiple techniques used, symbolism was the most used and overbearing in the passage. Symbolism is the use of objects or characters that are used to represent something greater such as an idea or event in history. The first symbol is the character Phoenix Jackson herself. Her name is a mythical bird in Egyptian Mythology that represented power and strength. The mythical bird lived for five-hundred years then died …show more content…
The buzzard stalked Phoenix representing the everlasting presence of Death. The doves as well represent death “the mourning dove’s reminder of death…pulls her to stay and not go.” She agonizes and states “something always take a hold of me on this hill” these were thought of death. The doves call is a creeping reminder of death following Phoenix as she is close to passing in her old …show more content…
The passage takes place during winter in December Winter occurs at the end of the year , plants, and trees begin to die. Nature itself loses its color and is left barren until the return of spring. . The cold winds cover the wilderness and leaves the land free of life. This represents Phoenix’s imminent death as she continues age she also continues to become weaker and more frail, but like the nature after winter there is a rebirth in spring the plants begin to sprout. Phoenix’s grandson could be considered the rebirth or the season spring. As Phoenix reaches the town “in the paved city it was Christmas time.” The city was decorated with “red and green electric lights strung and crisscrossed everywhere, and all turned on in the daytime.” The bright lights gave the city a merry and joyous atmosphere. Phoenix had traveled a far distance and ran into many obstacles that slowed her down. In her old age and with her bad eye sight she was lucky to complete the trip to the town, Overall the lights were used to represent the celebration of Phoenix arriving at her destination Natchez,
"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.
Although Eudora Alice Welty’s work is sometimes compared to that of Faulkner or Poe. She is by far not as unusual. Throughout her lifetime Welty uncovered the secret of how people treat others. She took a simple subject and turned it into an ongrowing topic. She took the isolation issue and made it aware to her readers. The way she wrote has her readers stopping and thinking about the subject. An underlying message is constantly being weaved throughout the pages of her stories. Eudora Welty showed that, no matter how alone you may feel in a world of people, there is always someone there or something worth fighting to achieve. Whether it is a slave fighting for freedom, a person wanting to committ suicide realizing they will be missed, or even just someone trying to find a place in this world. Therefore isolation is a major influence in Eudora Welty's writing.
Welty, Eudora. "A Worn Path." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. 142-49.
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.
The title itself, “A Worn Path,” referred to life as the journey itself 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 reality.
In the short story ‘a worn path’ by Eudora Welty she uses symbolism to describe many of the characters and objects that are given in the short story. Symbolism is to use symbols to represent ideas and qualities. In ‘a worn path’ Eudora does so she uses manifolds of characters and objects to express the way the story is being told in her own way. As doing so she helps the reader understand it more sufficiently and to show that what is going on is still happening today.
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.
The short story genre ‘A Worn Path,’ by Eudora, Welty is in third person omniscient point of view, and the theme is of undying love and devotion. The story theme is similar to the poem “The Road Not Taken”, yet is dramatically different as the setting along with characterization gives a detail and clear images in the plot. 3 Intriguingly as stated by the South Central Review (1997)… ‘The Worn Path presents the detail of Phoenix’s journey along the Natchez Trace. The first two Paragraphs deliver meticulous description’:
“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.
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is a short fictional story first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1941. Welty was an American short-story writer and novelist. Welty was a photographer before she started writing so her stories were as detailed as her photographs. Some reccurring themes she used in her literary pieces were social prejudice, isolation, and southern living. This short story includes these common themes she favored throughout her works. There are multiple themes in this fictional story. Some themes presented in this story include racism, family, and responsibility. The most prominent theme is the age and perseverance, because the protagonist is predisposed to failure given her age but her tenacity keeps her going.
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.
Eudora Welty writes with feeling and her “Emphasis is on varying combinations of theme, character, and style.” (Kinc...
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