Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path is a story about an elderly African American woman named Phoenix Jackson who embarks on a journey to the city. In the city, Phoenix needs to obtain medicine for her son whose throat has been damaged drinking lye several years ago. During Jackson’s travel, she encounters several obstacles, some dangerous and some mild. Written in 1941, this story describes what sort of life people like Phoenix Jackson lived in 1940’s America . Slavery in America was abolished in 1865 after the Southern States had surrendered to the Northern States in the Civil War.
Eudora Welty’s “A worn Path” talks about a elderly black woman by the name of Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix travels through the pinewoods all alone with her small cane and eyes blue with age. She encounters many hardships including disrespect. Phoenix does have a goal during her journey and it was to get medicine for her grandson because he swallowed lye. The theme of the story was that Phoenix would go through many hardships, disrespect, and loneliness for the love of her grandson.
Overreaching Don’t Pay (pg 186) Huck cannot stand the frauds anymore when he sees Mary-Jane crying over the slaves sold and have their families separated, so he tells Mary-Jane the truth about the frauds and devises a plan to jail the king and his duke, which Huck feels proud of because even “Tom Sawyer couldn’t ’a’ done it no neater himself” (195). XXIX. I Light Out in the Storm (pg195) The day Mary-Jane went to town was the same day that the real Harvey and William return. The townspeople along with Dr. Robinson and lawyer Levi Bell inspects the frauds and almost immediately reveals their fraud identities. XXX.
Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo is Dee’s new name. This in an attempt to live what she believes is her heritage while leaving the oppression and poverty behind, which actually has created a wedge between herself and the rest of her immediate family. Symbolism and the use of tangible items used every day bring Dees perception and her mother’s perception of heritage to places that are completely opposite of one another. The story takes place within an oppressed black family in the 1960’s during the Civil Rights movement when young blacks were searching to find themselves and their true African heritage. Mama, which is also the narrator, takes pride in sweeping the dirt in the yard which is referred to as an “extended living room only with a breeze and an ability to look up into the elm tree.” Mama states that she has “deliberately turned her back on her house” and describes it as “not having windows and a tin roof “and seems to be perfectly satisfied with these living conditions.
In stories, usually, we think of our traditional hero as a young and strong undefeatable man. In Eudra Welty’s short story “A Worn Path”, it is obviously not the case. Pheonix Jackson, an old shortsighted poor woman may not look as our traditional hero but she goes through a series of events where she displays all the qualities of one. At the start of her journey, we can easily perceive Phoenix’s steadfastness through the woods up a hill. The old lady, despite her age and difficulty to walk, is determined to get to town to get medicine for her sick grandson.
In the short story, “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson, the main character, is an elderly lady who lives in the country and walks mils to get to the city to receive medicine for her grandson. Unfortunately for Phoenix, many obstacles hinder her on her walk to the city. The restrictions that cause problems for Phoenix on her trip to the city are her age, the environment, racism, and her mental health. Phoenix’s age causes her many problems on her travel to receive medicine for her grandson. “Phoenix’s eyes were blue with age and her skin had branching wringles as if she had a branching tree on her forehead.” The white hunger asked her “how old are you, Granny?” and she replied “there is no telling mister, no telling.” These are two quotes directly from the short story “A Worn Path” that describe Phoenix’s age.
Symbolism of the Journey Kimberly Larese Eng.125 Introduction to Literature Ms. Julie Alfaro March 3, 2013 Symbolism of the Journey 1 A Worn Path "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty is full of symbolism and theme that makes this an interesting story. Phoenix is an old Negro women who is determined to get to town for the medicine for her grandson and she will not let anything nor anyone get in her way. And the struggles she faces along the way. But also racism not just because of color but the way she is treated but some of the people.
Kim Adams Professor Jones English Comp II 20 September 2012 IT’S NOT THE DESTINATION, IT’S THE JOURNEY In Eudora Welty’s story “A Worn Path” about an elderly black woman making a long journey, I realized this journey she is making is the biggest and, perhaps most important, journey of her life. In this story Phoenix Jackson takes a worn path to the city every year to get medicine for her sick grandson. Throughout her journey she comes across many obstacles; animals in the wild, a harassing hunter, untied shoelaces, and snippety nurses. In spite of all these obstacles she carries on and trudges through her journey to get to her destination. (Welty, 1941) We would all be wise to take a lesson from Phoenix on carrying on through the tough
“A Worn Path” Essay Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" is a story about an old black woman who must hunt medicine for her sick nephew. Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist, must travel from the pinewoods where she lives and attempt to fight through the blizzarding cold to reach the hospital at the closest neighboring city of Natchez where she intends to find help. In this story, Welty exemplifies the concept that people can, and do overcome the trials and tribulations of life with the lasting hope and strength provided by loved ones. Here, it is the jeopardizing health issue of her nephew and ultimately her love for him that keeps her going. Welty illustrates this concept with her use of symbolism, dialogue, and conflict of the characters.
Sacrifice in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” and Despair in “The Whistle” The Sympathetic narrator in “The Whistle” and “A Worn Path” each speak of great sacrifice has been made by Phoenix Jackson taking a journey to get medicine for her grandson, so he can live. The deep despair of Jason and Sara Morton, in their attempt to save their farm that threatened not only their tomatoes, but their lives respectively as well. Phoenix Jackson, a determined woman, never gave up even in the hardest times. Jackson knew she had to complete the journey for her ill grandson. One of the first obstacles she runs into is the hill.