In the short story, “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty introduces an elderly, African American, woman named Phoenix Jackson, whom for two or three years has made a long quest to town to get medicine for her ill grandson. Initially, Phoenix must overcome many obstacles to reach climax of her journey. Eudora Welty uses these obstacles to demonstrate the theme of her story, which is that Phoenix’s ambition/hope was the leading role in her preserving. The first obstacle that displays Phoenix’s determination to succeed, was when she came to a hill during her quest to town.
In the work, “A Worn Path, “Welty has developed a short story that uses characterization, symbolism, imagery, and conflict in a hero’s journey. Phoenix says “Thorn bushes and barbed-wire fences, log bridges and hills are major barriers for her.” (Welty, Edora 2/5) As Phoenix pursues this heroic challenge she acknowledges the temptation and fear built in her crossing a deep forest in the health condition she is found in. Welty gives the character the willingness having an ambition to conquer her journey. Upon many other Phoenix Jackson was well aware of what she was approaching making her build fear.
Over time, our perceptions of freedom change. Escaping a cotton field may have been considered freedom in the nineteenth century, yet it could not be done without endurance. While our perceptions of freedom change, it’s likely that our ideas about how people obtain freedom do not change much. In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty describes a woman’s journey along a path to freedom, and she describes the obstacles that the woman encounters along the way. That woman, Phoenix Jackson, is able to overcome these obstacles despite her old age.
The setting of a story is often overlook and thought to be a less important when it comes to the overall message and plot of the story. The place, time, or geographical location has a great impact on the theme, mood, tone, and the central conflict. The setting can also foreshadow events, affect dialogue, and characters actions. In our everyday life we make numerous amounts of decisions or action s that are dependent of our location. In a library an action of reading a book may take place, but in a grocery store, picking out food may be done.
In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Welty discusses the very lengths an individual is willing to go to in the name of love. The protagonist, Phoenix, an elderly black woman, takes a long and treacherous journey from the countryside to the nearest city, all in hopes of collecting medicine for her sick grandson. Welty’s characterization of Phoenix conveys a tone of perseverance; the character battles many negative forces of the wilderness throughout the story, but despite this, Phoenix’s reaction to her surroundings is one of a pleasant tone. In Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Welty uses contrasting diction and a lexicon that conveys layers of both dark and light storytelling, while Phoenix, a woman of great strength and tenacity, despite her age, defies all odds through her
1. Let 's start with Phoenix. The fact that Phoenix is a city in Arizona doesn 't have anything to do with our leading lady, but the fact that a phoenix is a mythological bird does. Phoenix the woman has many similarities to phoenix the mighty bird. There are frequent references to time and age in the story.
Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path and Katherine Anne Porter’s The Jilting of Granny Weatherall both depict an individual’s experiences and feelings during their journey of life. In A Worn Path, Phoenix Jackson's insights and views, as well as her encounters with other characters, prove her very diverse attitude towards life’s obstacles than that of Granny Weatherall from The Jilting of Granny Weatherall. Granny Weatherall's strength is shown in the way that she is able to accept her own death and voluntary chooses to die in that knowledge.
“A worn path” In “A worn path” Eudora Weltey focuses on realism. Phoenix Jackson as the protagonist of the short story. Phoenix Jackson who shares her name with the mythological bird that rises from its own ashes. The short story shows a great example and purpose of why phoenix needs to keep on living as much as she can.
Literary Analysis: “A Worn Path” Eudora Welty uses many literary elements in her short story, “A Worn Path,” to allow the reader to stay engaged throughout its entirety. Although there are many literary elements present in this story, there are three that Welty focuses intently on. She uses elements such as imagery, symbolism, and motifs to draw the reader’s attention. It is important for an author to write their story in a way that can be understood but also enjoyed. In “A Worn Path”, Welty focuses in on the elements, such as, symbolism, motifs, and imagery and writes a story that has great meaning and can be discovered by the reader when looked at carefully.
Pheonix Jackson’s grandson is dead because she shows signs of dementia, she hesitates when asked about how the boy is doing, and she says words that imply the boy isn’t changing. The story “ A Worn Path” follows the difficult trip routinely made by Pheonix on foot to a nearby town for her grandson’s medicine which he needs for his swollen throat. Pheonix shows signs of dementia which would affect her perception of reality and her grandson being alive or dead. In the line, “At first she took it as a man,” referring to her encountering a scarecrow, Pheonix shows that her senses are inadequate enough to believe a scarecrow is a man dancing in a field (762). Pheonix is more reliant on her body remembering the trail than her sense of sight
In “A Worn Path”, enduring is the word that best describes Phoenix because she undergoes issues with her mind, an arduous journey, and a racist man. First of all, Phoenix perseveres through all of the mental problems that she has. The narrator says, “She did not dare to close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. " That would be acceptable," she said.
In Eudora Welty's short story "A Worn Path," an elderly black woman named Phoenix Jackson treks through the hilly backcountry to receive medication for her ill grandson at the clinic in town. Despite facing incapacitating conflicts, Jackson is unrelenting and perseveres the arduous journey for her grandson’s sake, as she has many times before. Jackson's fiercely devoted and determined character is exposed as she faces the struggles of debilitating poverty, advanced age, and the rugged physical environment. The severity of Phoenix Jackson's jarring poverty is blatantly evident. She has to walk to town instead of using a car.
Overcoming obstacles In the short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty the protagonist Phoenix must overcome many different types of obstacles in order to obtain the medicine that is needed for her grandson. She must overcome physical, emotional, and mental obstacles on her long journey into town. These obstacles all hindered her progress, but in the end she was able to prevail due to her perseverance and determination. On her journey into town Phoenix must overcome many physical obstacles.
The first time that Phoenix could have abandoned her mission in the short story “A Worn Path” is when she encounters the thorny bushes. Each time the Phoenix removes one part of her dress another part gets caught. She carefully removes her skirt from the bushes because she refuses to let her skirt get ripped. The thorny bush represents Phoenix’s life, once she has overcome one obstacle there seems to be another one in her way. Phoenix meets these obstacles in her life head on and shows a sense of humor.