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Phoenix Jackson Obstacles

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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. To pass a barbed-wire fence, Phoenix must “creep and crawl... stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps”(par 16). When the small thorny bush gets in Phoenix’s way she stays persistent. Even though she is worn out and tired she does not slow down. The hunter came back with his dog “ Well, I scared him off that time, he said, and then he laughed and lifted his gun and pointed it at Phoenix. She stood straight and faced him.”(para 55) This scene shows how Phoenix is forceful when the hunter hold the gun right at her face and she does not move. She is a strong woman and her character proves that with …show more content…

We see love in Phoenix Jackson by how she takes the long journey to get medicine for her grandson. In the story Eudora Welty enhances the unbeatable love Phoenix Jackson has for her grandson through drawbacks she faces, her health along with age, and taking the journey. Throughout the course of her journey she forgets her purpose, in her heart firm love she has for her grandson always lead her back on her path. Phoenix Jackson faces many obstacles on her journey but, none of them distract her from reaching the medical building for her grandsons sake. The hunter insisted “ Now you go on home, Granny!” (para 46) Phoenix says “I bound to go to town, mister,” (para 47). Phoenix’s entire journey signifies that love and willpower can get you anywhere in

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The story of Phoenix Jackson and the Narrator are based on the point of view of both the writers. “A Worn Path” is a story of a small, old, African American woman with wrinkles, who wore an apron bleached sugar sacks, hold a cane made from umbrella and shoe laces that are dragging, walking down the winter landscapes and describing everything she notices. While, “The Lone Ranger” is a story of a typical Native American youth, who is recounting his view of his society and struggles with identity, alcohol, and family relationships. The two characters have a few things in common and are opposite from each other. Even though staying in a marginalized environment, she is determined to do miles of walking to the urban area where she have to face

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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

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Yes, the journey is a great risk especially in her condition but Eudora shows how Phoenix’s spirit causes her to persevere in the face of adversity. In the end, Phoenix Jackson reached her destination and received the medicine for her grandchild. What starts out as a long quest filled with dangerous obstacles ends in a meaningful lesson for the readers’. Eudora Welty short story, “A Worn Path,” exemplifies what it means to persevere through any tribulations that stand in the way of your goals.

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The first obstacle Phoenix Jackson had to deal with was the hill which make her feet feel as if they were chained to one another and the hill would issue pleas for her to just stay. Moreover, Phoenix Jackson would not be deterred so quick and accomplishes the feat and turns to relish the first obstacle, but quickly realizes that every step down the hill will be just as treacherous as the ascent. Phoenix gets caught in some thorny bushes upon her decent but was able to free her without ripping her dress. After crossing the creek Phoenix Jackson is approached by obviously a familiar boy who offers her a piece of cake and when she goes to accept it she awakes from the day dream.

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Some references even suggest Phoenix may have once been a slave; such as the chains the old woman feels on her feet as she climbs the path uphill. Racial inequality is unmistakably clear when the old woman falls in the ditch and is confronted by the white hunter. One would believe the hunter calling Phoenix Granny to be a harmless reference to her age; however, Granny is a term coined by southern whites in the thirties and forties and refers to a single elderly black woman: a granny is an old black woman who takes care of the white

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