“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. 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 ... ... middle of paper ... ...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.
The same can be said with the woman who tied Phoenix’s shoelaces—that she did it out of duty for Christmas season rather than genuine concern for the elderly. Phoenix Jackson must endure racial prejudice as part of her everyday life. It is interesting, though, that the people she encounters don’t treat her with any respect and kindness. From now onwards, it perhaps signifies that America is making progress in racism and discrimination. But not until the civil rights movement did blacks gain all their rights under the law.
The protagonist of this short story is Phoenix Jackson. She is portrayed as a lively person because of the vivid color descriptions given by the author. Her complexion is described to have yellow, golden and copper colors. This colors state she is a black woman. The author uses imagery to shows us that Phoenix is
Phoenix overcame many obstacles throughout the story first of all, she overcame the dangers of the long journey into town. On her journey Phoenix came to a place where a log was laid across the creek. “Now comes the trial,” (388) she knew it was not going to be easy crossing over the creek. Phoenix could have been scared and could have turned back and not step foot on that log but, instead she “mounted the log and shut her eyes” (388) and triumphantly crossed over the creek. As Phoenix continued on her journey she did not even let a barbed-wire fence stop her. She had to “creep and
The third person narrator is not omniscient and does not provide the thoughts of Phoenix or any other characters. The audience is only aware of other the characters that phoenix introduced to us and are only aware of conversations if phoenix engages them herself. However, the narrator is also objective in this story. When Phoenix states, "God watching me the whole time. I come to stealing," (Welty, 2013) the reader can only conclude that she feels guilty about taking the nickel that the hunter dropped accidentally. If it wasn’t for her out loud commentary, the reader would have never known her feelings about this situation. Through the limited and objective narrator, we are forced to infer many details about Phoenix 's personality and character. This approach also lets Phoenix 's actions speak for the narrator, allowing for more indirect characterization as well as more focus on the action of traveling the worn path rather than focusing on the internal
“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.
Strength is the only reason Phoenix accomplished her journey and Phoenix's love for her only living relative is her greatest strength of all. Although the old Negro woman suffers from many handicaps, she starts her journey mentally prepared for the obstacles awaiting her. Phoenix uses her inner strengths and prevails over every barrier. She relies on her trustworthy feet to make up for her impaired vision. Her wit makes up for her frail body. 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, and loving old woman can overcome anything.
One danger on her journey are the thorns in the brush that cut her at the start of her long walk. after she got out of the thoery bush she said “‘Sun so high!’ she cried leaning back and looking,while the thick tears went over her eyes” (48).Another danger is when the hunter points his gun at her because she wouldn’t turn back and go home. Phoenix was alone through the whole journey, she couldn’t take her grandson with her because he is sick. Her journey is beset with temptation when the hunter drops some money and Phoenix decides to pick it up. That’s how Phoenix's journey is beset with dangers, loneliness and
Phoenix Jackson is an elderly black woman who struggles to walk, has poor vision, and she is very fatigue. Phoenix Jackson is the symbol of perserverance, stamina, redemption, faces racial prejudice, and life in the face of hardship and death. She is a brave woman who would endure many obstacles to get ,medicine for her grandson. She faces many dangers in the Natchez trail sacrificing everything with determination to make sure her grandson gets better. She has selfless concern for her grandson. The author conveys Phoenix Jackson as a woman of true spirit and self-sacrifice.
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
Her character is described as a strong and loyal person. She's strong enough to stand up to the hunter that harass her after helping her out of the ditch and loyal for making the trips to town like clockwork to help her grandson, although i think he's dead. Phoenix might be having a hard time believing that her grandson might be having a hard time believing that her grandson is truly dead so she takes trip every year so she can feel like she's helping her grandson in some way. When she finally arrived at the hospital, the nurse asked "Is your grandson's throat any better since the last time you came for medicine?" but Phoenix did not reply instead she put her hands on her knees, not moving and waited silently. The nurses at the hospital ask Phoenix if her grandson is dead to which she replied "No missy, he not dead, he just the same". Close to the end of the story she said to the nurse "We is the only two left in the world. He suffer and it dont seem to put him back at all. He got a sweet look. He going to last. I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time. I could tell him from all the other in creation." In conclusion Phoenix Jackson's grandson is most likely dead but i think it's safe to say that he'll live on in her memories as long as she's
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.
In “A Worn Path” colors are used to emphasize the depth and breadth of the story, and to reinforce the parallel images of the mythical phoenix and the protagonist Phoenix Jackson. Eudora Welty’s story is rich with references to colors that are both illustrative and perceptive, drawing us in to investigate an additional historical facet of the story.
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