ipl-logo

Phoenix Jackson Archetypes

1718 Words7 Pages

“The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary,” which has not been more so than for Phoenix Jackson whom every year due to her love for her grandson embarks on a dangerous one-day journey to the city of Natchez. In this 1941 short story, “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, protagonist Phoenix Jackson, an elderly African-American women, whom despite her visual impairment, old age, memory loss and senility determines to procure medicine for her sickly grandson. Regardless of Phoenix Jackson’s limitations and negative experiences, she continues her journey undeterred. In order to characterize Jackson, Welty utilizes symbolic and situational archetypes to portray her as a strong, persevering, courageous, and loving women throughout her journey. Situational archetypes …show more content…

The death and rebirth archetype comes back in to play when Phoenix descends. The death aspect is her dealing with the absence of her grandson, but being reborn ready to face a new life without him having reached acceptance. The journey was not about her grandson but about Phoenix reaching her deeper self. The death of her grandson, changes the interpretation of the story. Even though her grandson is dead, Jackson makes the journey every year to get his medicine in order to honor him and not forget. Whether Phoenix makes the journey because of the trauma causing her to relive experience, or because she is in denial, or if she does it to honor him, it does not change the fact that Phoenix persevered in order to reach the goal of acquiring the medicine. Phoenix makes it to her destination despite having to walk through a dead and dangerous land in order to keep the memory of her grandson alive because she is a strong and courageous women with a deep love for her grandson that was not altered simply because he is gone from the physical

Show More
Related

  • Perseverance In 'The Scorpio Races'

    437 Words  | 2 Pages

    The phoenix represents the ability to rise from the ashes of defeat and overcome obstacles. This archetype is evident in both Sean and Puck's storylines. Sean has faced numerous setbacks in his life, including the death of his father and the loss of his mother's love. However, he refuses to give up and continues to persevere in his pursuit of victory in the Scorpio Races. Similarly, Puck has faced significant obstacles, including the death of her parents and the financial struggles of her family.

    Read More

  • Three Artistic Tools Used In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    488 Words  | 2 Pages

    Phoenix encounters several obstacles in order to achieve her goal. The path she walks in represents her life, with the obstacle she faces new one appears and through her perseverance she slowly conquers each one of them. At the end Phoenix buy a paper windmill for her grandson. The paper windmill represents the nature into the energy that her grandson can use his natural abilities since they are both free, to something

    Read More

  • Blurred Reality In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    444 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this reality, she has a grandson who is ill from ingesting lye and needs medicine to get better, which we later find out in the end of the story, is her whole purpose of going on this trip. On her way to get the grandsons medicine, Phoenix sits down to take a break and is met with ‘“...a little boy [who] brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it…”. When she reaches to grab the cake from the boy, he disappears as well as the cake. The little boy who is suspected to be her grandson and the cake represent the optimistic times for slaves. When they were finally finished with their work in the fields, they’d go back to their cabins and be with each other.

    Read More

  • The Race By Sharon Olds Essay

    471 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sharon Olds poem, "The Race" she tells the story of how she rushed to the airport to fly home and see her dying father one last time. The poem is filled with suspense as aheraces throught the airport in order to reach the Gate that was departing in a few moments. Olds ' exssesive use of enjambments, metaphors, and personification demonstrates her sense of persistance all through the poem. Moreover she respectfully listens to the young man provide her instructions to catch another flight. As if from zero to one hundred she boosted up and ran to the next Gate.

    Read More

  • Old Phoenix Symbolism

    464 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although there are numerous grounds for Old Phoenix to abandon her mission, including the dog frightening her, a man finding it amusing to point his gun at her, as well as the need to ask a white woman to tie her shoes, it is apparent from the beginning something is driving her to finish her task, although the reader has no idea initially what that might be (Kirszner & Mandell, 2015). By giving the old woman the name Phoenix, it allows the reader to immediately understand her toughness and resolve. A symbols meaning can vary dramatically from culture to culture, and even in one culture can differ depending on a person’s experiences and education (www.signology.org). However, in American culture, it is generally thought to be almost immortal,

    Read More

  • The Worn Path Analysis

    833 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is like a path. Phoenix’s path represents her life as an older woman with her life difficulties getting for her age. In the story, Phoenix has time to appreciate the beauty of the day and gives to herself some rest, but also she fights with her mind and her physical decadences that did not help her to finish her path. “Finally, trembling all over, she stood free, and after a moment dared to stoop for her cane. “Sun so high!"

    Read More

  • Obstacles In The Worn Path

    995 Words  | 4 Pages

    Written in 1941 “The Worn Path” is a shorty story written by Eudora Wetly. Where we follow the journey of an elderly women of color who takes the path to go to town and grab medicine for her sick grandson. The story shows what life was like for people of color and how they were treated. In the “The Worn Path” Granny Phoenix went through many obstacles, looking at these obstacles with a different lens shows us how her journey, and showed the fight for each generation and how they all take the same journey to reach a goal. Going through these will open your view to different meanings that Eudora was trying to teach.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Pauli Murray's 'Proud Shoes'

    691 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pauli Murray’s Proud Shoes tells the story of Murray’s family as they developed through segregation. After the death of her parents, Murray is taken to live with her grandparents, Robert and Cornelia Fitzgerald. Proud Shoes focuses on the life of Robert and Cornelia and how they experienced life differently due to their individual situations. This book discusses how race and gender played key roles in the life of Robert and Cornelia. Through this discussion, readers are able to understand a broader American life based on individual experiences and express topics on gender identity and gender difference.

    Read More

  • Pheonix Jackson's Dementia In A Worn Path

    328 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pheonix Jackson’s grandson is dead because she shows signs of dementia, she hesitates when asked about how the boy is doing, and she says words that imply the boy isn’t changing. The story “ A Worn Path” follows the difficult trip routinely made by Pheonix on foot to a nearby town for her grandson’s medicine which he needs for his swollen throat. Pheonix shows signs of dementia which would affect her perception of reality and her grandson being alive or dead. In the line, “At first she took it as a man,” referring to her encountering a scarecrow, Pheonix shows that her senses are inadequate enough to believe a scarecrow is a man dancing in a field (762). Pheonix is more reliant on her body remembering the trail than her sense of sight

    Read More

  • Literary Elements In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

    526 Words  | 3 Pages

    She exemplifies Christ along her journey when she stops under a mistletoe tree; the same type of tree in which the cross was made. The thorns she encounters also relate to Christ’s death on the cross, the crown of thorns he wears on his head. The journey she takes to get her grandson’s medicine, is considered to be an example of self-sacrifice. Phoenix gives others the opportunity to help her and accomplish good things. One example is when the hunter helps her out of the ditch.

    Read More

  • The Hero In Joseph Campbell's A Worn Path

    549 Words  | 3 Pages

    It could be defined as a wound, due to the fact that it indirectly harms her, as she’ll be sad if she forgets to get the medicine for his grandson, considering he may die. All of these events in the story may or may not define Phoenix Jackson as a hero, however it does show that she is a very brave, and loving grandmother, which is almost as important as if she were a middle-aged man with superpowers. Phoenix’s adventure throughout the story shows that she is strong and bound to complete her task at hand. The events of the story provide the readers with a sense of suspense while also telling a wonderful story, whether it’s a true story or

    Read More

  • Why Is Phoenix Jackson Named After The Mythological Bird The Phoenix

    797 Words  | 4 Pages

    Her grandson is very ill and is going to die soon. This is all happening during Christmas time. Most of the story is recounting Phoenix’s journey into town. The story ends before Phoenix Jackson makes her voyage home. A Worn Path never tells you if the grandson dies or lies through his illness.

    Read More

  • Phoenix Symbolizes Rebirth In The Phoenix: Granger

    60 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Phoenix: The Phoenix symbolizes rebirth. The Phoenix is known for rising from the ashes after being burned. In the story after the city has been destroyed, Granger compares the destruction to the bird. Both are destroyed and rise from the destruction. So if Granger and the others use their knowledge, they won’t be like the Phoenix and prevent destruction.

    Read More

  • Racism In A Worn Path

    883 Words  | 4 Pages

    Beyond the Walk to Natchez A historical great piece of literary art, “A Worn Path” published in 1941, is a story of an old woman’s journey to town through the forest. The setting is rural Mississippi in the 1940’s, a time when racism was a way of life and a trip to town, especially for an old black woman, was often a long journey and thus a trip not often taken. The old woman’s name is Phoenix Jackson and she has quite an adventurous trip through the forest to town. One is made to believe this is just an average walk down the path for this old woman; however the reader is entertained by Phoenix’s mannerisms and realizes there is deeper meaning of the story.

    Read More

  • Fantasy In A Streetcar Named Desire Analysis

    749 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Role of Fantasy and Purpose in Individuals “I don’t want realism, I want magic”- Blanche DuBois (Williams 145). In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams presents readers with the acute presence of fantasy in individuals’ lives. Every character fabricates fantasies in his life to gloss over his struggles and forget each other 's flaws. A Streetcar Named Desire evaluates individual’s use of fantasy as a crutch to avoid the hard truths and give purpose to an empty life. Blanche DuBois, the protagonist of the story, uses fantasy to cope with her world crumbling around her.

    Read More

More about Phoenix Jackson Archetypes

Open Document