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Resilience In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

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A true representation of resilience is the phoenix, a mythological bird that burned itself after several centuries of life only to rise from smoldering ashes to repeat the process (Tabachnick, 2015). Ironically, Eudora Welty used the name Phoenix for the main character of her story “A Worn Path”, and aptly so. In the story, the symbolism between the character Phoenix and the mythological creature is revealed through her perseverance and unwavering toughness when faced with difficulties along her journey. Throughout the story, Phoenix, in her ageing, feeble state, faces several obstacles that threaten to turn her from her mission. However, Phoenix refuses to stop, continuing her trip despite the danger she faces only to rise and continue after each obstacle. Likewise, the reader discovers that Phoenix has made the trip before each time starting over anew just as the mythological bird. Such symbolism along with each obstacle she overcomes serves to create the theme of the story. …show more content…

As she continues her journey she faces the first of many obstacles that would threaten her mission. The path she is following, and has followed so many times before, takes her up a hill. No doubt, such an obstacle would give pause to anyone in her condition and she expresses this when she says to herself, “Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far…Something always take a hold of me on this hill – pleads I should stay” (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012, p. 388). Nevertheless, Phoenix continues her journey making it to the top of the hill and descends the other side forging on determined to complete her mission. She could have turned back at any time, but she rose up in defiance of the hill just as she had so many times

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