Phoenix's Hardships and Racism in A Worn Path Essay

In “A Worn Path”, by Eudora Welty, we join Phoenix Jackson on her routine voyage to town for the medicine her grandson needs to survive. Throughout this short story it is obvious that there are themes of persistence, struggle, and love. This struggle to the town is made apparent and is emphasized by the stories setting along with the use of symbolism, and mood/atmosphere of the story.

Eudora Welty wrote this story in 1941, a time in America where although African Americans were free, they were still treated as a lesser race by the whites. Phoenix tells the hunter that she is headed to town because “the time come around.” (290) The hunter replies, “I know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going to town to see Santa Claus!” The white hunter is making a stereotype that colored people go to town during winter to see Santa Claus, when in fact the nature of Phoenix’s travel is different. Lastly, before they part ways, the hunter points his gun directly at Phoenix, and asks if the gun does not scare her. She responds, “No sir. I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done.” Since Welty describes Phoenix as being very old, then it is safe to assume that Phoenix lived during a time where black oppression was at its highest. Therefore, since she has through a lot during her days, then having a gun pointed at her does not seem to impact her in any way.

Phoenix is not any more or less perfect than the next character. She dresses in a long dress covered with her apron made of bleached sugar sacks and a head wrap covering her tight coils. She’s what one may call resourceful. She is also motivated as she takes her journey through the woods to town, but this motivation does not make her the perfect little Angel. In one encounter she runs into a young white hunter who is so tied up with trying to show off his hunting dog, he does not realize he drops a nickel. Being the human that Phoenix is, she smoothly recovers it as if it was her own and then a flash of guilt hits her as she says, “God watching me the whole time. I come to stealing”(Welty 467). This part of her journey shows that sometimes people commit the smallest crime to benefit themselves, or in Phoenix’s case her grandson.

Many wonderful events occur in the story, however, three events that are important are Phoenix’s interactions with two extremely important people, Phoenix’s character, and the amount of detail the author provides in the story. Phoenix finally arrives in the city after an exhausting journey, where she realizes her shoe is untied. She stops a lady who is carrying a significant amount of Christmas presents, and asks the lady to tie her shoe. Without question, the lady politely sits her Christmas Presents down on the sidewalk and ties both of Phoenix’s shoes tightly. The second person who does a nice gesture for Phoenix is an attendant, who gives Phoenix a nickel. With this nickel Phoenix will be able to buy her grandson a Christmas present,

I agree that her misinterpretation of the scarecrow is a vital part of the story. In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Phoenix has difficulty seeing. This characteristic contributes to the impact of the story by showing her strength and perseverance along the path to Natchez (Welty). For example, even though Phoenix couldn’t see well and faced several difficulties along the way, such as the incident with the dog, she continued her path to Natchez in order to get medicine for her ill grandson (Welty). Phoenix’s desire to overcome obstacles to get the medicine for her ill grandson symbolizes the older African-American generation’s strength through the difficult period in order to provide the younger African-American generation with a better quality

To define a phoenix, a bird of classical mythology, according to Grant and Hazel is, “a legendary bird which according to one account lived 500 years, burned itself to ashes on a pyre, and rose alive from the ashes to live another period.” The phoenix is an account of rebirth, rejuvenation, and resurrection. Welty chose to name the main character of “A Worn Path” Phoenix because in the story she keeps coming back again, she is also very aged, and she refuses to quit. To begin, Welty chose the name Phoenix simply because the woman is very old, just like a phoenix who lives to tremendous age.

She desires, as an instance, that her shoes be tied so she has some dignity earlier than entering what seems to be the town hospital. at the identical time, Phoenix isn't always above stealing a piece of cash, as while she distracts the hunter and slyly nicks a nickel. After her theft, though, she concerns about her vulnerability to punishment as a bad black ladies, reflecting that she has seen “masses guns burst off nearer by means of, in my day, and for less than what I finished”. Later, in the clinic, the attendant offers her a nickel as charity, and even as status “stiffly” she “carefully” accepts the coin. From those times we understand that Phoenix is each proud and smart, questioning rather of herself but no longer above getting the money and medication she wishes thru anything method she will be able to, whilst also being aware about the ability debasement and dangers of her position. money will become a tool of empowerment for Phoenix, at the same time as the stealing and the charity endorse a separation of training. That she then makes use of the cash no longer to buy the bare necessities however instead for a incredibly expensive and surely delicate paper windmill with the intention to show her grandson the wonders of the sector shows her hope of what the destiny holds and the manner that having wish fuels her will to head on, however additionally the fragility

After conquering so many obstacles on the path and throughout life, Phoenix reaches a period of rest in her journey and in her old age; the old woman reaches a

Through her long adventure, she had to cross streams, crawl underneath a barbed- wired fence, faced the danger of being alone in the horrible woods, or could have been shot by a hunter. Throughout her long adventure, her worn path has weighted on her character. While Phoenix was traveling through the woods, her journey has been a hard pace to it. When she mentioned, “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild

The Author, Eudora Welty, chose to tell it from this point of view because she wants the reader to notice a contrast in Phoenix when she finally reaches her destination in the city. In the country, Phoenix was in her element, talking to herself amongst the familiar landscape, familiarity with the path she has taken many times before, hence it being worn, and being unaffected by the antagonist, the hunter and his gun. In the city, she was just a charity case and did not feel herself. She even forgot momentarily why she was there in the first place. You can clearly see the structure of the story changed as soon as she entered the city, from being a courageous woman not afraid of whatever came her way, to a woman who needed help just tying her

Referring to her possibility of being senile, she has moments in the story that are peculiar and can make the reader question if she is even sane. In one instance, she was threatened at gunpoint by a white man in a secluded area, but she seemed to show no signs of fear. This action is especially significant when also integrating the factor of the time in which this occurred. “A Worn Path” most likely took place in the 40s; a time in which offenses against African Americans were seldom justified with moral

The man treated her as a frail, incapable, and uneducated being. She was “the juxtaposition of the other characters' material wealth and self-concern with Phoenix's poverty and selflessness, a contrast intensified by their interactions with, and misunderstanding of, her.” (Beatha) The man had no more respect for her than he thought he should have, and that, as it was for a long time before, was little no none at all. This lingering hatred is like the very name that Phoenix had, it was repeating, unending, or so it seemed at that

Phoenix is indirectly described several times throughout the short story. She is characterized on her valuable traits, such as her pride, selflessness and devotion. An example of one of the characterizations of pride that phoenix depicts is when phoenix did not want to enter the big building with her shoes untied. Phoenix states” Please, missy, will you lace up my shoe?” was phoenix asking the woman on the street to tie her shoes because she has pride in her appearance and did not want to be seen unpresentable.

Family has always been close to our heart. We can face any difficulties for our family member and we care about their well-being. This is a short story about a grandmother, Phoenix who goes through lots of difficulties for her grandson. The writer Eudora Welty has well written fiction story, “A Worn Path” describing how a person can take a step for their loved ones going through different difficulties just to fetch some medicine for her grandson including symbolism and settings which provided the hidden motive behind her travel.

The short story “A Worn Path” surrounds the character Phoenix Jackson. The setting of the story is in December on a very cold day early in the morning. The content of this story suggests Phoenix Jackson is a very old woman who walks from the old Natchez