A Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay

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“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is a short story. The story begins with a woman from the south named Phoenix Jackson. On a cold December day, an elderly woman named Phoenix Jackson makes the long walk down a worn path to the city of Natchez. Along the way she runs into many different people, animals, and nature. Some of the things she sees are real and others are things that her eyes are making up. A black dog knocks her down and a young white hunter helps her up. The hunter is rude though and even points his gun at Phoenix. Phoenix finally makes it into the city. The city is decorated in the spirit of Christmas. Phoenix picks up medicine for her grandson that has lye poisoning. She tells the nurse and the attendant that her grandson will survive even though the medicine isn’t going to help. The attendant gives Phoenix a nickel in the spirit of Christmas. Jackson buys her grandson a paper windmill along with the medicine. The central idea of this …show more content…
the numerous challenges of the worn path. Phoenix has all of the characteristics that were considered at the time to make a person weaker, however, her strength and perseverance embodies the common saying, “Don't change a book by its cover”. Her conflict with these challenges are both shown in physical and abstract challenges. Her motivation is seen when she “had to go through a barbed-wire fence” and had to “creep and crawl” (Welty 922). Another example of this perseverance is described perfectly in Phoenix’s attitude toward herself about being in the ditch, “'that black dog come up out of the weeds to stall you off, and now there he sitting on his fine tail, smiling at you.'” (Welty 924). The conflict ultimately was resolved with Phoenix getting the medicine for her grandson despite the laundry list of obstacles. The conflict relates to the central idea that the motivation of love is stronger than any challenge the world can
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