Eudora Welty A Worn Path Analysis

Words: 1448
Pages: 6
Open Document
“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, is a humble story about an old women and her challenging journey to the clinic. Phoenix Jackson is an old woman who lives in the country side of Natchez. She is a woman that obviously loves and cares for her grandson; she loves him so much, that even in her old age she makes that difficult journey to the clinic on a regular basis. The journey has become a routine commute for Phoenix. On this day in December, she walks in frigid temperatures, down a path with thorn bushes, bob wired fences and creeks. Apparently these are not all of Phoenix’s challenges she will encounter while on her journey. The additional challenges are the mental challenge of controlling her thoughts, dreams and visions; the challenge of …show more content…
Isaacs, Literature Resource Center, “The story concerns the struggle to achieve a goal, the completion of the journey: … (Welty, 1941) (Isaacs, 1998)”. “It was December a bright frozen day in the early morning” (Welty, 1). It was freezing outside and she have to prepare herself for the long journey. Phoenix is old in age; she is so old that she herself has forgotten her own age. However, Phoenix does not let her age are cold weather stop her from the journey. She proceeds on her way, she talks to herself and the wild animals, all the while she’s hoping the wild animals will not come out and hinder her mission. “Don’t let none of those come running my direction/I got a long way” (Welty, 1). She reflects on hibernation season for snakes and alligators, which gives her mind a bit of comfort. Phoenix has grown tired; she stops to take a break and dozes off into a dream. She was dreaming about a boy bringing her a slice of marble-cake. “But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air” (Welty, 3). Her idea was just to take a break not to fall asleep, however, she had to snap out of the mental encounters she was stumble upon or she would not complete her journey, but not before her mind played another trick on her. As she came through the maze where the path was no longer visible, there was a vision of a man figure off in the distance. She could not make out what it was; it appeared to be man dancing in the wind. …show more content…
The challenge she faces on her visit to the clinic is one that would take great humility on her part. She goes through the humiliation and degradation for the love of her grandson. Good old Phoenix is illiterate and cannot read. She relies solely on memory, feet and eyesight to get her from place to place. If it was not for the picture on the building, she would not know where to go to get what her grandson needs. Upon entering the building, “A charity case, I suppose”, says the front desk worker. She addressed Phoenix with such impudence and condescending tones, that Phoenix appeared to be ignoring her snarky remarks. However, Phoenix had a memory lapse briefly and forgot her reason for going to the clinic. It took some prying of a nurse who was familiar with Phoenix and her reason for being there. “At last there came a flicker and then a flame of comprehension across her face, and she spoke” (Welty, 7). Her efforts of getting there were strong that she almost lost sight of its end. Even though she had a memory lapse, she tried to stay focused even though she became quite the chatter box once she regained her memory. The nurse was generous because it was around Christmas time, the nurse offered her a few pennies and she denies and asks for a nickel. The nurse gave her a nickel. “She lifted her free hand, gave a little nod, turned around, and walked out of the doctor’s
Show More

Related Documents: Eudora Welty A Worn Path Analysis

A Worn Path By Eudora Welty Analysis

“A Worn Path” Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” is a nationally known narrative about Ms. Phoenix Jackson. Ms. Jackson is in many ways a hero for going such a long distance, through some difficult obstacles for her very sick grandson. Ms. Jackson, an elderly woman with memory issues must overcome obstacles around her on her way into town, including a large hill that ends at the log over the creek, an old cotton and dead maze field, and the final leg of her journey, the ravine in the woods. Ms. Jackson…

Words 890 - Pages 4

Analysis Of A Worn Path By Eudora Welty

In “ A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Welty sets the story in the Deep South in December on a bright frozen day in the early morning with a woman named Phoenix Jackson. She is on her way to buy medicine for her grandson, but despite the long journey Jackson encounters many interactions with people and nature. Phoenix Jackson is taking her daily walks to the city town on an odd path. As she is walking she comes across the animals and is harshly speaking to them as if she were confused and lost. As she…

Words 1003 - Pages 5

A Worn Path Eudora Welty Analysis

Literature often exemplifies both the simplest and most complicated aspects of human nature. Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” tells the story of an old African-American woman, Phoenix Jackson, who routinely makes a long and difficult journey to get medicine for her grandson. “The First Seven Years” by Bernard Malamud is about Feld, a Jewish cobbler who attempts to find an acceptable husband for his daughter, Miriam. Both of these stories illustrate the importance of love to perseverance. These short…

Words 93 - Pages 1

Never Give Up: a Character Analysis of Phoenix from Welty's "A Worn Path" Essay

Character Analysis of Phoenix from Welty’s “A Worn Path” By STUDENT NAME Professor NAME CLASS NAME DATE Outline Thesis statement: In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson displays extraordinary perseverance in the face of difficulty, which ultimately allows her to accomplish her goal. I. Personal obstacles A. Body B. Mind II. Physical obstacles A. Nature B. Society Never Give Up: A Character Analysis of Phoenix from Welty’s “A Worn Path” Although…

Words 983 - Pages 4

Literature and Class Writing Exercises Essay

Florida Gateway College Course Syllabus -- English 1102: Freshman English II Writing About Literature Fall 2014 Instructor: Serafin Roldan Phone: 352-246-1091 Email: roldans@bellsouth.net Office Hours: ONLINE OFFICE HRS Enc 1102: Section 012 ONLINE Course Description: ENC 1102 is a general education communications course. This course focuses on the appreciation of imaginative literature with the following learning objectives: A. Communications: Demonstrate the ability to…

Words 2303 - Pages 10