Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" and Jean Rhys's "I Used to Live Here Once" concentrate on one specific theme which is "Journey". While the two works display comparable themes the difference is point of view. Each of them has shown a particular journey through which life can change. There is one thing in common in these two works; no matter what journey a person takes there are a lot of obstacles in the way to dissuade them and ultimately find that love is the end result in which they make that voyage. Each of the works has different characters and setting. The common ground is the voyage in which they take to reach their journey's end.
As we look into the story of "A Worn Path", an older woman named Phoenix Jackson starts her journey at a long path towards town talking to her-self along the way to distract from the very reason why she is going into town. Her perseverance is touching in that her reason for going into town is for her grandson who scarred his throat years beforehand swallowing poison, specifically lye. According to Merriam-Webster's definition, lye is a "strong alkaline liquor rich in potassium carbonate leached from wood ashes and used especially in making soap and for washing" (M.W. 2013). Accidentally swallowing this substance could result in esophageal stricture, or in other words, your throat can be badly burned and may not be treatable. In this Journey we see the symbolism in her name, Phoenix, which is a mythological bird who lived five hundred years and burned in a tree fire, but arose again from the ashes (Cummings, 2011). Phoenix Jackson is like this mythical bird in that she "arose from the ashes of the Civil War" to lead a long and rewarding life. Birds are a prominent feature in the story; they symbolize Phoenix and her grandson. They resemble God and of death. In the opening paragraph it is indicated that Phoenix is like a "solitary little bird.
