For the Love of a Child
What traits are required for someone to be a good caregiver for a child? In the short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Phoenix is an elderly African-American woman living on the outskirts of Natchez, Mississippi. She must travel into town in the cold of winter to retrieve medicine for her sick grandson. The story details the various difficulties she must face on the way and how she deals with them. Welty shows through Phoenix that it takes selflessness, determination, courage, and cleverness to raise a child.
Phoenix is a selfless person. She puts her grandchild’s needs above her own comfort. Critic Hamm Speaks of this when she says: “Phoenix might be seen as the archetypal mother whose spirit remains undefeated even as she faces the hopelessness of her situation" (1). The trip she makes is difficult because of her age and her poor eyesight. When Phoenix sets out on the trip, it is cold: “It was December—a bright frozen day early in the morning” (Welty 1). Nevertheless, Phoenix keeps going on the trail, using her umbrella as a cane to help her feel her way (Welty 1). Nothing on her journey stops her because her love for her grandson is more valuable than anything. Phoenix puts her grandchild’s happiness first when she has two nickels and thinks first to spend them on the boy:“ ‘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’ ” (Welty 9). She could spend that money on anything, but she wants her grandson to have a small moment of joy. When one is a caregiver, the child’s happiness comes before all else.
The determination and courage that Phoenix shows are key in the care of a child. One critic say...
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... about having to retrieve the medicine. She is a very complex character, and she loves her grandson dearly. Phoenix proves her character to be selfless, determined, courageous, and clever.
Works Cited
Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Judith S. Baugman. "Phoenix Jackson." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 8 Dec.2013.
Hamm, Jean Shepherd. ""The Worn Path" and the Hero's Journey." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Owen, Jim. "Phoenix Jackson, William Wallace, And King Maclain: Welty's Mythic Travelers." Southern Literary Journal 34.1 (2001): 29. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Welty , Eudora. “A Worn Path .” Personal Copy.
It was times throughout the book the reader would be unsure if the children would even make it. For example, “Lori was lurching around the living room, her eyebrows and bangs all singed off…she had blisters the length of her thighs”(178).Both Lori and Jeannette caught fire trying to do what a parent is supposed to do for their child. Jeannette caught fire at the age of three trying to make hotdogs because her mother did not cook for her leaving Jeannette to spend weeks hospitalized. She was burnt so bad she had to get a skin graft, the doctors even said she was lucky to be alive. The children never had a stable home. They were very nomadic and a child should be brought up to have one stable home. No child should remember their childhood constantly moving. This even led to Maureen not knowing where she come from because all she can remember is her moving. The children had to explain to her why she looked so different is because where she was born. They told Maureen “she was blond because she’d been born in a state where so much gold have been mined, and she had blue eyes the color of the
Janie's Grandmother is the first bud on her tree. She raised Janie since she was a little girl. Her grandmother is in some respects a gardener pruning and shaping the future for her granddaughter. She tries to instill a strong belief in marriage. To her marriage is the only way that Janie will survive in life. What Nanny does not realize is that Janie has the potential to make her own path in the walk of life. This blinds nanny, because she is a victim of the horrible effects of slavery. She really tries to convey to Janie that she has her own voice but she forces her into a position where that voice is silenced and there for condemning all hopes of her Granddaughter become the woman that she is capable of being.
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.
In conclusion, both Faulkner and Morrison show how a mother's actions and expression of love can affect how their children will grow up to be and act.
The character of Phoenix is the protagonist in the “A Worn Path,” written by Eudora Welty. She is proud, loving, and determined. You see Phoenix Jackson on her long and difficult journey to get medicine for her sick grandson. The story is told from the third-person point of view. Though she was faced with many obstacles on her journey to the city, through the devotion and love she had for her grandson we see what type of person she really is.
...e on her part. Throughout the story, the Mother is portrayed as the dominant figure, which resembled the amount of say that the father and children had on matters. Together, the Father, James, and David strived to maintain equality by helping with the chickens and taking care of Scott; however, despite the effort that they had put in, the Mother refused to be persuaded that Scott was of any value and therefore she felt that selling him would be most beneficial. The Mother’s persona is unsympathetic as she lacks respect and a heart towards her family members. Since the Mother never showed equality, her character had unraveled into the creation of a negative atmosphere in which her family is now cemented in. For the Father, David and James, it is only now the memories of Scott that will hold their bond together.
...f questions and she answers all of them respectfully and honestly. Phoenix cleverly distracts the man, with the two dogs that are fighting and he goes off to scare the big black one away by shooting at it. It is when he comes back and points his gun at her, that Phoenix shows no fear if it. When she is asked if she is afraid of it, her reply is, “No sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done” (Welty 58). Her unusual courage shows just how far racism stretches. Normally a human being would show fear when staring a gun down, but with years of white people making slaves out of them; black people had learn to face persecution head on. Therefore, Phoenix faced her trial head on, and the white hunter left with a little more respect for her than before. Which in the society she lived in respect was a gift and to be cherished.
When this tale is looked at from a deeper perspective, it is learned that the mothers wish is to be loved and not have to worry about her child that has come in the way of her and her
We are told of Phoenix?s journey into the woods on a cold December morning. Although we are know that she is traveling through woodland, the author refrains from telling us the reason for this journey. In the midst of Phoenix?s travels, Eudora Welty describes the scene: ?Deep, deep the road went down between the high green-colored banks. Overhead the live-oaks met, and it was as dark as a cave? (Welty 55). The gloomy darkness that the author has created to surround Phoenix in this scene is quite a contrast to the small Negro woman?s positive outlook; Phoenix is a very determined person who is full of life. As Phoenix begins to walk down the dark path, a black dog approaches her from a patch of weeds near a ditch. As he comes toward her, Phoenix is startled and compelled to defend herself: ?she only hit him a little with her cane. Over she went in the ditch, like a little puff of milk-weed? (55). Here, the author contrasts the main character?s strong will with her small, frail phys...
Her trip is full of obstacles, from bushes of thorns that get caught in her dress, to her crossing of a creek. These elements complicate the conflict and increase the readers' curiosity about the plot. Phoenix can't trust her eyes, choosing instead to walk along with her eyes closed and sense her way with the help of her cane. While needed rest forces her to stop for a while, she has a vision of a little boy handing her a slice of marble cake. So many questions arise in the minds of the readers. Who was the little boy? Is she halluci...
The story leads the reader on an exploratory journey to witness the neglect by Emily's extremely guilty mother. This is described by the children's cry when they are left with strangers, lacking attention and love due to the fact she is a single parent at a time where this was not commonly accepted in the community, causing a lot of emotional distress.
Mrs. Sargent mentioned that a child’s strongest traits are often the ones that their parents are trying to subdue. In this chapter Mrs. Sargent provides a list of the Temperament ABCs, this is a list of all different personality types noted in alphabetical order. From this she encourages the reader to pick the first temperaments that align with their child. These are their strongest inborn traits! These traits will influence that child throughout life; 1) how he relates to others, 2) how he deals with issues, 3) how he accomplishes tasks, and 4) what excites and drives him. Mrs. Sargent stated, “becoming familiar with your child’s personality will go a long way toward helping you understand why your child acts the way she does”, and I believe that this is one of the most important statements within the book. She also cautions not to stereotype a child based on their personality traits, no one person is the same as another. When her children were young she read a book to them called The Treasure Tree, in this book the four characters all had a different temperament that was known. These temperaments shown were the very personality types that Hippocrates’ laid the foundation for several hundred years ago; Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic. From this there is a quiz that helps to identify what personality type best fits a child. But she also explains that people will never fit into one type completely. That it is extremely likely to place in two or three categories, with one possibly out ranking the others. The very personalities that we have play a greater influence on the life we live than our intellectual
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.
In life, everyone experiences a time of hardship, and for the most part, those affected find methods of overcoming the adversity. The idea of getting through hardship is best reflected in; Sherman J. Alexie’s story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” (274). In the story, victor whose father had recently died from a heart attack has to travel to phoenix Arizona to reclaim his father’s ashes and his truck. Victor is joined by his former childhood friend “Thomas Builds-the-fire”, who finances the trip to phoenix since Victor did not have the means. They drove back truck from phoenix to the reservation. Throughout the trip, Thomas is always telling stories mostly reminiscing about their childhood. It is through Thomas stories that we learn much about Victor’s father. Through the use of symbolism, and character development, Alexie conveys the idea that, when someone is experiencing an adversity, reconnecting and embracing the past may lead to a discovery of a brighter future.
Isaacs, Neil D.. Life for Phoenix.? The Critical Response to Eudora Welty(tm)s Fiction. ed. Laurie Champion. London: Greenwood, 1994. 37-42.