Katherine Mansfield, author of “Miss Brill”, and Eudora Welty, author of “A Worn Path”, differ in their writing techniques, as well as, the portrayal of the two different women in the titles mentioned. “Miss Brill”, by Katherine Mansfield, is a woman, with a sense of entitlement, passing judgement during her traditional Sunday morning in the park. She later becomes upset when a young couple passes judgement on her. Phoenix Jackson, of “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, is the complete opposite character of Miss Brill. Jackson is a selfless, elderly woman, frail and losing her senses, who makes reoccurring trips to her ill Grandson’s doctor’s office to pick up a prescription. As a woman ages, despite the struggles that she has faced throughout …show more content…
The class in society becomes evident quickly in “Miss Brill” in the first paragraph when Mansfield speaks of the weather and Miss Brill is “glad she had decided on her fur” (1). Phoenix Jackson is an uneducated, poor, black woman with the strength that the nurse and reception at the doctor’s office should strive to exhibit “I’m an old woman without an education” (Welty, 141). The biggest difference between the two women though is not their class in society or the color of the skin; it is the difference between their strengths. Miss Brill is weak and uses her judgmental behavior as a defense mechanism. Mansfield finally lets the reader realize the weakness when a young couple sits down in the park and starts to judge Miss Brill, giving her a taste of her own medicine, “why doesn’t she keep her silly old mug at home” (5)? When Miss Brill overhears the judgments pass about her, she quickly goes home, passing her usual stops along the way and puts her fur away “but when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying” (Mansfield, 5). Phoenix proves to the reader the strength that she holds in numerous circumstances. Walking along the path, with no help from her senses, a white male hunter points a gun to her face, she defines strength, “no, sir, I seen plenty go off closer …show more content…
In “A Worn Path”, Phoenix has taken the journey for several years and has come to know the trip so well that she uses her sense and memory to guide her “putting her foot out, she mounted the log and closed her eyes” (Welty, 136). Her end result is the doctor’s office to collect her grandson’s prescription. Before turning around to go home, she extends her path and proceeds, with her old, frail body, to buy her grandson a paper windmill “he going to find it hard to believe there is such a thing in the world” (Welty, 13). Despite her long journey she continues to bring home to joy to her grandson. A different path is portrayed in “Miss Brill”. An elder, wealthy white woman sets out to enjoy her traditional Sunday ritual that ends with embarrassment and sadness when a young couple passing judgement on her, the same way she was doing moments before, to others. Shortly after the couple arrives at the park, Miss Brill assumes that the couple “just arrived from his father’s yacht” (Mansfield, 5). She begins to sulk when she overhears the couples speaking about her and her beloved fur “but to-day she passed the baker’s by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room – her room like cupboard – and sat down on the red eiderdown” (Mansfield,5). The reader can only imagine
Comparing A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner
“Miss Brill was glad that she had decided on her “fur” for that Sunday afternoon in the park. Her little friend she wore around her neck would be the perfect companion to enjoy such a beautiful day. After going to the park and sitting down, Miss Brill wishes to talk with the other people sitting about, but they never make a sound, though after this she admits to listening to their conversations. “She had become really quite expert, she thought, at listening as though she didn’t listen, at sitting in other people’s lives just for a minute while they talked round her.” Within moments, Miss Brill is commenting on other people: The old people who sat on the benches like statues, the little children running here and there, a beautiful woman accidentally dropping violets on the floor, and once a little boy picks them up and tries to...
“A Worn Path” is a short story written by Eudora Welty. It is a story of an elderly black woman’s journey into town for her grandson’s medicine. Using lots of imagery throughout the story, the narrator tells us that the woman, Phoenix Jackson takes this dangerous journey out of love for her grandson who is in need of medicine. Throughout her journey, she encounters many people who are of great importance to the story.
In Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" the conflict was not apparent at the very beginning. What was a poor, elderly sick woman doing gallivanting in the forest during the dead of winter? The reason became clear towards the conclusion of the story as the action revealed that the conflict was obtaining the necessary medicine for her grandson. When this conflict became obvious, another question came to mind. What kind of society did this woman live in that she had to go all the way from her home in the countryside to the city by herself to get the medicine? The conflict being illustrated is that of an individual versus society and the four problems that Phoenix faces as a result of this was her old age, her health, her grandson's health and her state of poverty.
“A Worn Path” told the story of an old woman named Phoenix Jackson. She had to make a long, adventurous journey to town in order to receive medicine for her grandson who had fallen ill. Phoenix Jackson was determined to reach her destination, and she did not let anything stand in her way. Throughout her voyage, she displayed characteristics of being brave, unselfish, and senile.
Because of the laws against colored people, Rosaleen, as a black woman, lives with constraints in her life. For example, she cannot live in a house with white people (Kidd, p.8), she cannot represent Lily at the charm school (Kidd, p.19), or even travel in a car with white people (Kidd, p.76). The media is also influenced by racism, and constantly shows news about segregation such as the case of Martin Luther King, who is arrested because he wants to eat in a restaurant (Kidd, p.35), the “man in Mississippi was killed for registering to vote” (Kidd, p.44), and the motel in Jackson, that closes, because the owners don’t want to rent rooms to black people (Kidd, p.99).... ... middle of paper ...
“A Worn Path” tells of an elderly and frail black woman and of the hardships that she must overcome. Upon reading the story, you realize that there is more to the story than meets the eye. She faces many roadblocks along her way. Phoenix faces many dangerous obstacles along her way, for a person of her age. She faces racism from some of characters she meets along the way. Phoenix faces inferior treatment, as though she is nothing more than some insect to squash. This story is about not only her ‘journey’ to Natchez, but also about her journey through society and the struggle to overcome the dangers, being treated inferior, and the racism.
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.
Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” emphasizes the unselfish love that inspires courage, sacrifice, and love through her use of symbolism.
Her determination makes up for her aged memory. But most of all, her love for her grandson her keeps her going. Clearly, the frail, forgetful, stubborn and loving old woman can overcome anything. Works Cited Ford, Richard. "Bonhomie For A Southern Belletrist." New Yorker 19 Feb. 1996: 36. Phillips, Robert L. Jr. Contemporary Literary Criticism: Eudora Welty. vol. 33. ed. Daniel G Marowski. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1985. 419. Vande Kieft, Ruth. Dictionary of Literary Biography: Eudora Welty. vol. 2. ed. Jeffrey Helterman. Michigan: Gale Research, 1978. 524-526. Welty, Eudora. "A Worn Path." Literature for Composition. 4th ed. Ed. Sylvan Barnet et al. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. 158-164.
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.
'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.
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