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One could assume that symbolism is the backbone to all literature. Without symbolism the piece of literature is inadequate, lacking representations of objects, people, and situations. However Eudora Welty’s work “A Worn Path” proves the prominence of symbolism in any prose. The short story about a woman’s ability to face nature, mankind, and one’s own self. The protagonist is an woman named Phoenix Jackson who has an unforgettable nature.
Also like Everyday Use, A Worn Path takes place at a time in the 1900s when racism existed. Just like Mama, Phoenix also takes care and protects a child. However, the child she takes care of is her grandson. Many years ago, her grandson swallowed lye. This is a strong substance which is used in making soap.
This exemplifies how intergenerational trauma has left victims desiring to be loved. Phoenix leaves the St. Vital Center and makes her way across town to her uncle's house. Phoenix decides to walk in the cold for hours until she has "lost feeling in her legs" (Vermette 25), all to impress her uncle. Phoenix’s decision to walk to her uncle’s house instead of asking for help continues to reveal to the reader how Phoenix has adopted a mindset of not showing weakness by asking for help, all while trying to gain admiration from her uncle. Additionally, as soon as she arrives at her uncle's house, she begins to plan ways to make her uncle happy.
“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.
In the short story Welty’s want the reader to be comfortable with Phoenix as a character. Welty describes Phoenix wearing a long dress reaching her shoe top and a long apron of bleached sugar sacks. When Phoenix talks aloud to herself the author wants the reader to imagine an old woman with characteristics of a warm, comical, young spirited woman side of her. The short story also uses images which evoke from the biblical imagery. Phoenix’s uses biblical connection to show the reader how important her story and the
In Welty’s Worn Path, a character named Phoenix Jackson encompases these three traits. As Albert Einstein States, “A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.” Phoenix is a perfect example of a woman living out of herself. This old, frail woman journeys through the woods to a town constantly to obtain medicine for her sick grandson.
Literary Analysis: “A Worn Path” Eudora Welty uses many literary elements in her short story, “A Worn Path,” to allow the reader to stay engaged throughout its entirety. Although there are many literary elements present in this story, there are three that Welty focuses intently on. She uses elements such as imagery, symbolism, and motifs to draw the reader’s attention. It is important for an author to write their story in a way that can be understood but also enjoyed. In “A Worn Path”, Welty focuses in on the elements, such as, symbolism, motifs, and imagery and writes a story that has great meaning and can be discovered by the reader when looked at carefully.
In the short story, “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty introduces an elderly, African American, woman named Phoenix Jackson, whom for two or three years has made a long quest to town to get medicine for her ill grandson. Initially, Phoenix must overcome many obstacles to reach climax of her journey. Eudora Welty uses these obstacles to demonstrate the theme of her story, which is that Phoenix’s ambition/hope was the leading role in her preserving. The first obstacle that displays Phoenix’s determination to succeed, was when she came to a hill during her quest to town.
The excerpt begins by stating, “It was December—a bright frozen day in the early morning.” This shows that Phoenix’s journey is not an easy one; it’s cold outside and early in the morning. Phoenix continues on the path up a hill. While she is walking along the path, she thinks, “There is chains about my feet, time I get this far.” These chains immediately portray thoughts of slavery, which would cause one to think of endurance.
The scene opens with the detail that she is “an old negro woman” (as cited in Clugston, 2011, sec.6.5). The reader is also able to determine that she is in the American South in the 1940s or earlier. Trial and adversity is part of this character’s birthright and yet throughout the entire story, we see her continually persevering through obstacles in nature, symbolic of life. Phoenix’s perseverance is the result of her purpose within her
Introduction: In the story “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty shows the character Phoenix Jackson as living in a time period where racial judgment is out of control. Phoenix Jackson is a grandmother whose incentive for living is her grandson. She has many obstacles both physically and mentally through her journey. Thesis: In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty creates a fictional character, Phoenix Jackson who is forceful, wise, and loving. Body Paragraph #1: Forceful Phoenix’s feet act as her compass, testing her strength though the woods.
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.
In the story “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson was an old African American women. She takes a small journey that can be an allegory of someone's whole life. The journey had hard and easy parts, beauty, danger, and confusion. But her quest was to get the medicine for her sick grandson who laid at home waiting for her return. Phoenix was a delusional yet heroic, caring grandmother who would stop at nothing to get what she needed.
Jackson is an old and poor grandmother whose senses are beginning to fail her, but she goes through seemingly unbearable trials in order to get to town and pick up her grandson’s medicine that will keep him alive. In this heartwarming story, Welty uses symbolism and various conflicts to create the theme of sacrificial love. In A Worn Path, Welty uses symbolism to illustrate her theme by giving the protagonist the name Phoenix. A phoenix is often used as a symbol of death and resurrection from the ashes ("Ancient Symbolism of
COURSE 2 Ricki Williamson This Is Me!!!!!!!! In this essay I will be talking about me three most important cultural identity’s and I will be talking about my mother, my sisters,and my friends and what is important about these people and why I put them in my essay today about cultural identity I hope you guys like it.
