" Phoenix also compares her grandson to a "little bird" with his beak open, waiting to be fed (Lister, 2007). In other words, the birds .
symbolize life and death. I believe it resembles the grandson's health being in between; if he doesn't get the medicine he needs he could possibly die soon. It is also directed that the grandson is weak and would need the assistance of some things, such as being fed. Phoenix's love for her grandson makes it conceivable for him to get the help he needs. As explained by Cummings, the Natchez Trace is an overland trail between Nashville, Tennessee, and Natchez, Mississippi. In the early 1800s, it was a "worn path" that promoted progress (Cummings, 2011). Phoenix walking this particular pass represents the progress she made going from point A to point B, and her determination and love of her grandson made it all worthwhile.
Now as we look into the short story by Jean Rhys, "I Used to Live Here Once", this character's name is not mentioned. "She crosses a stream, using the stepping stones she still remembers well, and approaches her old house. In the garden, she sees a young boy and a girl under a mango tree and calls to them twice, but they do not answer. When she says hello for the third time, she reaches out, longing to touch them. The boy turns to her, looks her directly in the eye, and remarks how cold it has suddenly become, and he and the girl run back across the grass into the house. The story ends with the pregnant sentence 'That was the first time she knew'" (as cited by Aubrey & Rollins, 2001, pg 1-4). Her destination is the house in which she used to live in and her determination is caused by the happiness she felt and the love for her own home and the surroundings when she lived there. As she takes her short journey across the stream she notices things misplaced or missing. At this point she realizes that she has a chunk of her life missing so she carries on until she reaches the children.