A Worn Path By Eudora Welty

Words: 649
Pages: 3

Eudora Welty's short story “A Worn Path” is full of symbolism. There are a number of themes represented. It is a simple story of an elderly African American woman in 1940s Mississippi. The protagonist, Phoenix Jackson is walking through a long path in the woods to get some medicine for her grandson in town. She encounters various obstacles. The theme of the story is endurance. The journey from her home to town would not be so difficult for others, but Phoenix is elderly and is rather forgetful. Despite her ailments she is able to make the difficult walk along the path, and does not let any obstacles in her way stop her. Her determination and her will enable Phoenix to accomplish her goal in getting to her destination and receiving the medicine. She represents her name well as it represents rebirth, rising from the flames.
Welty uses nature symbols to help illustrate Phoenix Jackson’s determination. They occur in appropriate parts the story to show how Phoenix fights against nature to get where she needs to go. Although Phoenix has indicated that she has made this trips many times before it seems to not get any easier for her. The first obstacles she runs into is the hill. To climb the hill, Phoenix says it seems like there are
…show more content…
Her sense of humor keeps her in high spirits and does not let the obstacles deter her from continuing on. When she is crossing a creek on a log, she shuts her eyes, and marches across without looking. As she opens her eyes to find that she made It across, she tells herself, “I wasn’t as old as I thought” (Welty 2). Another indication of her sense of humor is when she is thinks she spotted a ghost while crossing a field of dead corn. As she reaches out for the dancing ghost, she touches a sleeve, and discovers it is a scarecrow. “I ought to shut up for good….” “Dance old scarecrow while I dancing with you” (Welty