A Worn Path Eudora Welty’s, A Worn Path, is about an elderly African-American woman in the 1930’s named Phoenix Jackson, whose love for her grandson takes her on a long and difficult journey. Phoenix’s mission is to make it through the Mississippi woods on her way to town to get medicine from the doctor for her sick grandson. She is faced with many physical, mental and racial obstacles and has to overcome adversity throughout the course of her journey. Phoenix Jackson is a very feeble, old woman who clearly should not be trekking through the forest alone. She first hears a noise in the bushes and warns the wild animals in an effort to show her determination.
Arnold Palmer The story a Worn Path by Eudora Welty is a complex story that dictates the plight of an old woman that faces a handful of conflicts that she faces through her struggle to help her ailing grandson. The first conflict that I feel is the most apparent is the external conflict of Man Vs Nature. This conflict is apparent in the description of her travel to town through an old path in the woods. She follows this path and is met with a number of challenging obstacles. The path she walks along is long and tiring.
Latisha LC Isaac Eng 1102 Analytical Essay Corrections October 13, 2012 An Analysis of “A Worn Path”, by Eudora Welty Everyone has their own journey in life, and their path might be filled with many ups and downs. For instance, Phoenix Jackson, much like the mythological bird that rises from the ashes, exhibits great perseverance and strength as she faces difficulties and hardships in the short story, “A Worn Path”, by Eudora Welty. Phoenix, who is very old woman, travels to town, through woods and fields, to obtain medication for her sick grandson. Although the path is worn because it had been trailed a many of times, Phoenix faces many wild animals. However, in spite of the negative connotations that wild animals might be a hindrance to Phoenix, they are actually motivation.
“A Worn Path” (Welty, 1941) is a short story telling about the journey that a “very” old black woman takes on Christmas Eve to pick up medication for her grandson’s throat. The third person omniscient narrative, providing a good characterization study, allows the reader to “know” her and observe her actions and words through other’s eyes (Clugston, 2010). Through this point of view, the reader has personal knowledge of the woman and her ability to handle the struggles she encounters and has encountered in her long life. Her name, Phoenix, describes well how she has dealt with life so far—rising from ashes, making something out of nothing. The simple description of her smallness allows the reader to envision her as frail at first, but the reader quickly learns that she is resilient and tough.
A Worn Woman In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”, the main character, Phoenix Jackson, an older, black woman sets off on a long journey to the nearby town, Natchez. Along the way, Phoenix encounters many obstacles such as long paths, wild animals, and people. In addition, she also overcomes racial prejudice. Phoenix finally makes it to the city and receives the free medication for her sick nephew. She walks the worn path because of the love she feels for her grandson.
Worn Path: Symbolism In short, you could say that “A Worn Path” describes the journey of an elderly black woman named Phoenix Jackson who walks from her home to the city to get some medicine for her sick grandson, but it is so much more than that. Phoenix faces many obstacles in her path and she has to overcome all of them to get to the city. She over comes all of these obstacles, not only physically but emotionally as well. Symbolism also presents itself in many parts of “A Worn Path.” When one begins to analyze the symbolism in this story, one should begin at the title. According to Hamm, Jackson’s path is worn not only because she has traveled it many times, but because it has been followed by countless, self-sacrificing others.
Running head: CRITICAL ESSAY: EUDORA WELTY’S “A WORN PATH” Critical Essay: Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” When reading Eudora Welty’s Story “A Worn Path”. It stated that it was December and a bright frozen day. Meaning it was daylight outside and that it was probably snowing. She was a very old little lady. With continuing reading it is saying that she was trying to get to town and she was walking through pines and woods and nothing had scared her.
All he tried to do is get phoenix to go home to be safe. However phoenix refused to stop and continued down the hill and arrived at the town full of Christmas. She arrived at the doctor’s office and finally remembered her reason for the journey is medicine for her grandson. She then got the medicine and took in home to her grandson. OBSERVATIONS 1.
The short story, “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is filled with symbolism necessary to convey the message intended by the author. This message is one of courage and dedication on the part of the main character, Phoenix Jackson, an old African American grandmother, on a journey to town for medicine for her grandson. It is the symbolism, however, used by Welty, that takes this story to a higher level of distinction on the part of Jackson’s heroic characteristics. The story begins with the description of Phoenix Jackson aptly symbolized with various metaphors that express her age and her commitment to her task at hand. For instance, “She was very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows, moving a little from side to side in her steps, with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grand-father clock.” .
Alex Beshaw Mr. Hoskins October 3rd,2011 “What is A worn Path?” “ What is the author trying to say?” I wonder The story A Worn Path is about a elderly black women named Phenix. She is on a very long and worn path to the city but doesn't remember why. She travels the path so often and so well that her feet guide her the right way. Which shows that the worn path isn't just a physical path it is also a worn path in her mind, there is a lot of symbols and things that show that Phenix has walked this path many times before. Even though she has lost her eyesight and can visualize it in her head and know exactly where she is.