The Hero In Joseph Campbell's A Worn Path

More often than not, heros can be people who aren’t depicted as supernatural humans, with various powers. The more common heros are those with the trait of bravery, alongside various other traits. In “A Worn Path”, a grandmother by the name of Phoenix Jackson goes on a quest to obtain medicine for her sick grandson. The following traits from Joseph Campbell’s hero chart are what defines Phoenix Jackson as a hero. One of the common things that often shows during the beginning of the story of a hero, is the mystery of where they came from or what the current time is. In “A Worn Path,” it is hypothesized that Phoenix was once a slave, as she mentioned to a hunter when he pulled a gun on her “I seen plenty of those go off, closer by in my day.”(51) , and is now traveling through

While Phoenix is never actually harmed in the story, towards the close of the story, she is at the pharmacy about to ask for the medicine, when she realizes that she no longer remembers anything about her quest, including the type of medicine that her grandson requires “My grandson. It was my memory had left me. There I sat and forgot why I made my long trip.” (53). Readers could consider this moment of memory loss as a wound, even though it technically is not defined as a wound. 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