In "A Worn Path", Eudora Welty writes of an Old Negro woman, one of her many routine trips into town for medicine for her grandson, and the obstacles she confronts on this trip. The main character, Phoenix Jackson, is presented in the story as an allusion to the ancient Egyptian myth of the Phoenix, a bird who is consumed by fire after 500 years, only to be reborn out of its own ashes. Besides the obvious similarity in the names, the Welty uses symbolism and imagery related to this myth, such as the changing of seasons, the use of related colors, and the nearing of time, to details the theme of the story.
As the myth goes, after a certain amount of time has passed the Phoenix is consumed by fire and subsequently is reborn again. Throughout the story the author uses imagery of the changing of seasons to parallel this aspect of the myth. During her trip, Phoenix observes the landscape and the creatures she happens upon and relates them to the time of year. The descriptions of winter and summer symbolize the death and rebirth, respectively, of the fiery Phoenix. As she makes her way along in the furrow, Phoenix states that she is "glad this is not the season for bulls, and the good Lord made his snakes to curl up and sleep in the winter. A pleasure I don't see no two-headed snake coming around that tree, where it come once. It took a while to get by him, back in the summer"(345). In this example, the snake becomes dormant in the winter, but flourishes once again in the summer as if it were "reborn." The winter weather in the story creates a landscape of bare fields and dead trees, which can be interpreted as death and consumption of life. The main character continues along the path "swaying through the quiet bare fields, through the little strings of trees silver in their dead leaves, past cabins silver from weather, with the doors and windows boarded shut"(346). By using imagery of the changing of the seasons in the story, the author symbolizes the death and rebirth of the Phoenix.
A Worn Path Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" is a fantastic journey through an elderly woman's daily struggles. ... At first, the reader almost seems to be able to walk with Phoenix on her path because the description of her surroundings is so well stated. ... This brief description of the plot of "A Worn Path" is minimal in comparison to how interesting the story really was. ...
Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" tells the story of Phoenix Jackson, an elderly black woman living in the early to mid twentieth century. ... The significance of the title of "A Worn Path," however, lies in its complexity and in its many interpretations. ... Within the context of this particular interpretation, the keyword "worn" in "A Worn Path" implies that this path has been traveled many times before by Phoenix. ... Indeed the "path" is "worn" as a result of Phoenix's repeated trips to the town for her grandson's well being, and driven by her love for him, she will most lik...
One of her most well-known short stories is "A Worn Path," which she wrote in 1940. ... The setting of "A Worn Path" began in rural southern Mississippi along the Natchez Trail. ... The advantage of being a native of Mississippi has helped Eudora set the setting of "A Worn Path." As a person reads "A Worn Path," it can't go un-noticed that Phoenix Jackson is a unique name. ... Eudora's life in Mississippi and her familiarity with the Natchez Trail greatly influenced the setting and the main character's name in the short story "A Worn Path." ...
"A Worn Path" is a story of an old woman whose human spirit is full of devotion, dignity and high drive that helps her overcome tremendous impediments of life in the name of love for her grandson. ... Phoenix Jackson, as a woman who possesses both qualities, teaches us life lessons to hold onto and experience for ourselves, as we journey down our own "worn path". ... In the story "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson, despite the racial injustice which she was forced to endure in her lifetime, lives up to her name by using her inner strength and wisdom throughout her journey to reach ...
Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" begins as a simple story of an old woman walking through the woods to town. ... In "A Worn Path," Phoenix Jackson seems like a silly, old woman. ... In "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, the exposition is found near the end of the story. ...
A Worn Path "A Worn Path" is a short story that was written by Eudora Weltey. This story was about a little old black lady named Phoenix Jackson who lived way back in the piney woods with her grandson. And every time he ran out of his medication, she would walk a long journey to the nearest town...
A Worn Path "A Worn Path" is a short story that was written by Eudora Weltey. This story was about a little old black lady named Phoenix Jackson who lived way back in the piney woods with her grandson. And every time he ran out of his medication, she would walk a long journey to the nearest town...
A Worn Path / The Lottery Both "A Worn Path," by Eudora Welty, and "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, deal with routine and the impact following a routine can have on people. In "A Worn Path", Old Phoenix shows how as you get older, your capability of doing things become limited which leads you to doing things over and over again following a set of routine. ... In " A Worn Path," as Old Phoenix walked through the woods and got to the top of the hill and gave a full, severe look behind her where she had come and said "Up through pines," then "N...
In her short story, "A Worn Path," Eudora Welty uses many different symbols that convey an underlying meaning that death is lurking around every corner and around every bend in the road. Some of these symbols include the title itself, "A Worn Path," the rustling in the bushes, Phoenix Jackson's dress catching in the bush, and the scarecrow and the black dog. ... The first symbol is the title of the story and how it brings Phoenix Jackson to her journey of "A Worn Path." ... The path Phoenix takes is the path of her life. ... Phoenix Jackson walks a path through the long journey of life. ...