Obstacles arrive in everyday life, and if one decides to push through them to get to where they want to be, it shows how brave they are, because they never gave up. Bravery is shown in the story, A Worn Path, by the main character Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix Jackson in an elderly black woman, who is frail and small. In this story we are taken along her journey through the countryside to Natchez, which is a small town in Mississippi. But, this is no ordinary journey, because Phoenix is faced with a lot of obstacles along the way. Most of these obstacles are dangerous and risky, and because of Phoenix's age and physical condition, she should not be attempting them. But, she never gives up on her journey because she is determined to make it to town. …show more content…
She says this because it is difficult for her to walk up the hills because she has a cane, and she is elderly. When she reached the bottom of the hill a bush caught her dress, to which she says, "thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir" (DiYanni, 92). After she got her dress free from the bush, she continued her trail and came across a log that was laid across a creek, and in order to continue her journey, she would have to climb over that log. "Although she will not give up, Phoenix acknowledges the very real challenges she faces as an elderly person" (Dilgen). She closes her eyes and makes it across the log safely and says, "I wasn't as old as I thought" (DiYanni, 92). Even though she is not the most agile person, she had guts to cross over the log that was over a creek. After that, she came across a barbed wire-fence, "There she had to creep and crawl, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps" (DiYanni, 92). Phoenix managed to climb hills, got her dress caught in a thorn bush, had to climb over a log, and had to crawl through a barbed-wire fence, and despite all of that, she kept steady persistence which takes a lot of courage because most people would have given up at that …show more content…
The nurse says that Phoenix makes this trip often, "She doesn't come here for herself, she has a little grandson. She makes these trips just as regular as clockwork" (DiYanni, 95). This shows how courageous she is because she goes through all those obstacles that she went through, on a daily. That could also be why she is so brave getting through those obstacles, because she has faced them before, and she could have been scared at first, but got over her fears, which shows bravery. When she talks to the nurse, she forgets why she had to go to the doctor's office, most likely due to her old age. She tells the nurse, "I'm an old woman without an education. It was my memory fail me" (DiYanni, 96). When she then remembers why she made the trip, she gets her grandson's medicine, and then uses the 2 nickels in her pocket to buy him a windmill. "I going to the store and buy my child a little windmill they sells, made out of paper. He going to find it hard to believe there such a thing in the world" (DiYanni, 96).The windmill symbolizes who moves us on our journey, in which Phoenix's case is her grandson and the love she has for him, hence why she went through so many obstacles to make sure he got his
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
The name Phoenix Jackson is obviously a huge indication of what she is trying to symbolize.... ... middle of paper ... ... Another instance was guilt, which was shown when the clinic attendant gave Phoenix another nickel; although it was kind, this seems to be her way of compensating for an earlier offensive statement “Are you deaf?” to Phoenix. What she chose to do was not come from being kind, but because it was a sense of duty.
22). The imagery of the clock gives a visual image of Phoenix unsteady walk and partial reasons why she carries a cane. After reading the first two paragraphs of A Worn Path one might wonder why is an elderly woman in such conditions out in the cold. Not until further along in the story does the author go into depth of the character’s reasoning for traveling out in the cold. In spite of Phoenix’s condition and old age you see her determination in paragraph three. In paragraph three she demands any obstacles or troubles that may try to come along her path to move out of her way because she has a long ways to go. The story goes into description of the pathway the woman is following; along the way she may have had little hope or faith until, “Down in the hollow was the mourning dove-it was not to late for him.” (Weltz, 1941, p. 22). Doves have many significant symbols and in paragraph four the dove symbolized hope for Phoenix. This symbol may have encouraged the woman that she still has time. We also learn in this paragraph that the reason Phoenix is traveling this pathway is to help someone she cares
Phoenix Jackson was on a long journey up hills and through forest and fields. She says “Seems like there are chains about my feet.” She knows that the journey was hard and would be bad for her body. When reading the story we realize that the fire in Phoenix for her loving grandson keeps her going through the long journey. Her journey may have been long, but she is doing it for someone she loves.
It’s December when Phoenix starts on her journey to Natchez and it is a journey she has taken many times before. This journey is no journey an elderly and weaken person should have to make by themselves, yet Phoenix does. She does not allow her age or her condition to keep her from it. Deep through the pines, the path takes her, and her first task would be to make it over a hill that seems to take all her energy and strength. “Seems like there is chains around my feet, time I get this far…” (Welty 5), here the reader can tell Phoenix does not have the strength that she really needs to make it up the hill. Yet somewhere she finds the will to keep pushing on and moving forward. This same type of spirit that allows Phoenix to keep pushing forward in society, and not to back down. Showing the younger generation that you have to fight your way through to a brighter day. It is later down the path that Phoenix comes to a creek and the only way to get across, is by walking on a log. Phoenix walks across this log with her eyes close. Once across she opens her eyes and says, “I wasn’t as old as I ...
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. “A Worn Path” tells the story of a courageous elderly African American woman named Phoenix Jackson. Phoenix endangers her life to get a charity medicine for her grandson, who is unable to fully heal because of a lye accident.
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.
Although I feel as though there are many literary elements throughout this short story such as characterization and theme, I also feel as though symbolism is very important as well. First of all, I believe that the name Phoenix in itself is symbolic for the type of person the old woman truly is. A Phoenix is a mythological creature who dies in fire and rises from ashes only to be stronger. It is as though all of these hardships only make the old woman more determined to complete her journey successfully.
After Phoenix takes the money, she goes to the store and buys a paper windmill for her grandson just to make him happy; however, this shows Phoenix’s sacrifice for her grandson because she could have used the money
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.
Phoenix originally has a goal to get medicine for her grandson’s throat. She arrived to the city and achieved her goal of getting the medicine for her grandson. However, she discovers something more than what she was trying to achieve. When she asks someone to tie her shoes, she’s surprised to find that the person “put her packages down on the sidewalk and laced and tied both shoes tightly” (52). She discovers that people show her kindness due to the fact that she is an old woman that seems to be struggling. Finding that people show her kindness due to the fact that she’s an old woman shows that she discovers something more than what she was originally trying to accomplish, making her an example of the hero archetype of having a goal she needs to overcome while discovering something something more than what she was originally attempting to
There are also mental obstacles that obstruct Phoenix’s journey. She has to triumph over her weariness because of her old age and her mental fatigue. As she is walking her mind plays tricks on her, such as the time when she is in the field and mistakes the scarecrow for a dark mysterious figure that she is frightened of. Another time is when she talks to herself and the animals in the woods. She tells them not to get in her way because she has a long trip ahead of her. The love that one person gives to another is never truly appreciated until the recipient realizes what that person has actually done. The grandson may be too ill or even too young to realize what his grandmother is doing for his safety.
Phoenix's precarious journey may seem dangerous, but her determination is what carries her through the obstacles she faces as she makes her way through the woods. Phoenix makes her way across the worn path and discovers many active opponents. She continues forward over barriers that would not even be considered a hindrance for the young. The long hill that she takes tires her, the thornbrush attempts to catch her clothes, the log that Phoenix goes across endangers her balance as she walks across it, and the barbed-wire fence threatens to puncture her skin. All of these impediments that Phoenix endures apparently do not affect her because she is determined that nothing will stop her on her journey. She keeps proceeding onward letting nothing deter her determination. ?The hunter(tm)s attempt to instill fear in Phoenix, a fear she disposed of years ago as she came to terms with her plight in society, fail (Sykes 151). She ?realizes that the importance of the trip far exceeds the possible harm that can be done to her brittle ...
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