...In “A Worn Path”, Eudora Welty uses a narrator as a non-participating character to reveal hidden characteristics of the protagonist, Phoenix Jackson, in order to convey the theme of perseverance and unconditional love to the reader. The narrator impartially suggests that Phoenix is an “old negro woman” with “eyes blue with age”. Although these characteristics are basic, they blossom into complex traits of the protagonist that shadow her astounding tenacity. As the audience, we know Phoenix’s age, since the narrator mentioned her elderliness multiple times. Considering that the narrator objectively shares this information, the reader knows how the difficulties she faced on her trek, from having “to go through a barbed-wire fence” to falling into a ditch “like a little puff of milkweed”, add into a critical characterization of the protagonist that, in the end, alludes to the theme. Despite her elderly age, Phoenix’s refusal to end the...
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...A Worn Path—Eudora Welty Repeated Words: negro – black - colored, cane, talk (to self), old, dress, walk, head – lips - face (motions), nature- items – motions (animated) Granny - Grandma, The Surrender [within her lifetime] – December – nickel – pennies – charity – Christmas – Santa – (Temporal Setting), Nachez – Old Nachez Trace (Spacial Setting), Grandson An old person walking with the aid of a cane and talking to herself along the way is the basic theme of this story. There are many other side aspects of the journey, each with their own nuances, but the main concept can be made with those four symbols. “…there was an old Negro woman … coming along the path …” (Welty, Eudora, A Worn Path in The Story and Its Writer, 1360). “She was very old and small and she walked slowly …” (Welty, Eudora, A Worn Path in The Story and Its Writer, 1360). “She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella …” (Welty, Eudora, A Worn Path in The Story and Its Writer, 1360). “Her eyes were blue with age. Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles …” (Welty, Eudora, A Worn Path in The Story and Its Writer, 1360). “Under her small, black-freckled hand her cane, limber as a buggy whip, would switch at the brush as if to rouse up any hiding things” (Welty, Eudora, A Worn Path in The Story and Its Writer, 1360). “On she went” (Welty, Eudora, A Worn Path in The Story and Its Writer, 1360). “’Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far’, she...
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...Sins of Omission in Eudora Welty's 'A Worn Path'." The International Fiction Review 28, nos. 1 and 2 (2001): 32–41. Quoted as "Phoenix Has No Coat: Historicity, Eschatology, and Sins of Omission in Eudora Welty's 'A Worn Path'" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Eudora Welty, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. Betha offers a critical view of the short story “A Worn Path”, she provides a description of Phoenix Jackson, who is the main character of the short story. She provides a list of difficulties that Phoenix Jackson encounters while doing her journey. Betha describes Phoenix as a woman that has not coat. She gives the interpretations that she has about this story, and along with other critics she describes the historical importance of Phoenix Jackson in the short story “A Worn Path”. She mentions perseverance in the way she describes the attitude Phoenix has towards the difficulties she encounters in her path. Additionally, she mentions other difficulties that Phoenix encounters during her life: Racism, poverty, slavery and many others. These stones that she found during her path were obstacles that gave her...
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...The Journey: Symbolism of “A Worn Path” and “The Road Not Taken” Expedition. Voyage. Excursion. Pilgrimage. There are many words that are used to describe the word journey but what does it really mean? Many people consider the word journey as merely a distance in which they have traveled or will eventually travel; often they fail to recognize that there can be great meaning beyond each step that is taken. Too often, people become more focused on the destination rather than the process that it takes to get them there. While focusing on destination people neglect to recognize the value of whole process that gets them there. A journey can bring forth exhilaration and excitement as well as agony and anguish. A journey always has a power which affects the lives of people and also changes their beliefs, thoughts and ideals, thus changing them ultimately. Have you ever taken a journey? We have all found ourselves on a journey of some kind or another alone, but what is more important is how we choose to end our journey. The two literary works that I have chosen to compare and contrast are “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. At first glance the two literary works appear to be about the same thing, but upon deeper reflection we conclude that they are not, as one is written as a short story and the other is written as a poem. The short story speaks of a “path” while the poem speaks of a “road.” The theme that each of these literary...
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...Robert Frost’s “A Road Not Taken” and Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” both focus upon one set theme within each of their writings, that of journey. While these two writers have displayed the same theme there are two different viewpoints that the readers must clearly establish between Frost and Welty. Both of the authors have shown that the particular journey within their writings is one of which that life can have hurdles and hardships that must be dealt with and come to peace with. Both pieces of literature have different characters, context within historical means and symbolism to show each journey in their full light. Journey has a different meaning to each person that experiences it within their life. Many view a journey as a mode to travel to a destination forgets the meaning beyond each step that they have taken. While the focus is upon the destination, people neglect to recognize the whole process that they have undergone. The joy and thrill of voyage allows people to learn both negative and positive things of other cultures and people that one will meet. This allows the person upon the voyage to learn new experiences within life that will be useful throughout the whole of their lifetime. Going upon a journey allows one to broaden their thinking, concepts along with their ideals that can ultimately change whole individual. The theme of journey within literature was and is very well described by many authors and poets that have shown the different aspects of traveling...
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...(book, 2011) Symbolism of the Journey ENG 125 September 11, 2011 Symbolism of the Journey, a comparison of two stories The short stories “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost are both stories that involve using the journey as a symbol. The symbol that the journey portrays in both of these pieces of literature is that of life. Life as a human being involves the right of choice in one of the literary works, and a lack of choice in the second. This paper will compare and contrast these two literary works which share the same theme. The comparison of the two stories will involve a comparison of the content, form, and style in an effort to provide deep insight into the theme of the stories; as well as insight into the hidden meanings poetry offers its readers to touch us on a deeper level. Content In the story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, content is developed through a complex series of descriptions. The story begins with a description of the setting which is a cold December morning in a far off path through a pinewood forest. The character is an old Negro woman who is described as being very old and small and wearing a head tied red rag. The woman is further described as wearing a dark red stripped dress and apron and carrying a cane and an umbrella. These descriptions of the setting give the reader a clear picture of the setting and character in the story as well as how the character moves when the author describes her as moving...
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...In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” there are many symbolic features that serve to enhance the description of Phoenix Jackson’s journey to town. From the biblical references and birds, to the protagonist’s name, and the windmill, Welty effectively implements a series of symbols to further develop the true meaning behind Jackson’s journey. There are many examples of symbols in “A Worn Path,” that symbolize biblical events. Phoenix says, “…and the good Lord made his snakes to curl up and sleep in the winter. A pleasure I don’t see no two-headed snake coming around that tree, where it come once. It took a while to get by him, back in the summer” (385). The snake symbolizes the serpent among the Garden of Eden who tempts Eden to stray from her intended...
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...A Worn Path Sandra D Mack ENG125: Introduction to Literature Instructor: Lesa Hadley January 30, 2012 The Pilgrimage throughout life presents familiar and unfamiliar paths of traveling. These paths can sometimes result in crossing areas of self-sacrifice as well as areas of hardship. While others paths of traveling may find an individual faced with victories and a sense of self accomplishments. Motivation and determination seem to be the driven force that compels individuals to continue throughout this journey called life. In the short story titled, “A Worn Path”, the author Eudora Welty, creatively incorporates the use of theme and symbolism to effectively layout a storyline that depicts the path of life of an elderly black woman. In the short story, “A Worn Path”, the author uses symbolic language and theme to identify the conflicts, struggles, self-scarifies and determination that one must face throughout the journey of life. The use of this symbolic language allows the major themes of sacrificial love in the face of hardship and death to be easily identified throughout the story. ” A Worn Path” passes far beyond it’s time capsule and remarkable fusion a number of different elements which incorporate myths, legend, and religious undertones which provide the story with a universally understanding of life and the struggles and accomplishments individuals must face on this journey called life (Moberly, 2005). Throughout the short story, titled, “A Worn...
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...Literary works are often comprised of symbolisms that convey a message to the reader. In the two literary works, A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, symbolism is used to capture the nature of both pieces. They both reflect a journey through imagery and metaphors. Each literary work has its unique way of expressing its message, one through the alliteration, ambiguity and visual sensation of poetry, and the other through a short, but evocative story about an elderly woman on her journey through a long, treacherous path. The Worn Path begins with an African-American grandmother that has begun her journey to get medicine for her grandson who lives in ‘town’. Her name is Phoenix Jackson and is described as an elderly woman on a mission. The beginning of the story explains that she is making her way down a long and difficult path to retrieve a much needed medicine that will help cure her grandson’s ailment. The dialect and manner in which the story is told suggests that the story takes place in the late 19th century after the ‘Surrender’ or a reference to the defeat of the Confederate army and the victory of the Union. It also makes implies that Phoenix resides in the south, or what would be the former Confederacy. Phoenix begins her path without question; only after the exposition does she glance back to where she had first begun her path. “After she got to the top she turned and gave a full, severe look behind her where she had come. "Up through...
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...EN_603-101-MQ 4 November 2012 Society’s Image reflected by character’s change in Actions As you begin reading the short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, the word weirdness comes right through your mind. You see a black women living in a society where she gets help, where she gets laugh at, and even a society where she gets almost killed. Those contradictions can only make you think that the society is outlandish and that it has a form of discrepancy. For the story occurring in the mid 19’s, is the society normal or Eudora Welty clearly over exaggerated on the way people were acting? As a matter of fact, in the short story, written by Eudora Welty, the society is not normal, and presents an image of dishonesty because some people are totally generous towards the protagonist of the story, Phoenix Jackson, but then they become totally mean. First of all, throughout the short story, Phoenix Jackson gets treated properly by some people in the society, even white people. The first example of this is when we first see the white hunter when Phoenix Jackson walks in the wood.“ He lifted her up, gave her a swing in the air, and set her down. “Anything broken, Granny?” ’’(Page 4). This passage of the story clearly show the readers that there are nice people in the society, because when someone is on the floor and you help this person, you are really courteous. On top of that, at the end of her journey, we can clearly see that Phoenix Jackson gets treated...
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...Subtle Tones of Racism in “A Worn Path” Eudora Welty’s short story titled “A Worn Path” is a glimpse into the past and the double standard that African American’s suffered during the time. Phoenix is a poor, uneducated woman from the country whose strong moral fiber will not allow her age, rampant racism or her obvious poverty to deter her from her goal of making it to town. She must make it through the many obstacles of the wilderness including the forest, swamp, and unmarked corn fields with only an umbrella repurposed as a cane. When she does encounter another soul along the way she is threatened with a gun and fighting dogs. Finally arriving to her destination she is treated like an annoyance rather than a human being. Upon starting her journey, Phoenix Jackson is described as “an old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag” (Welty 464). She is wearing what are obviously repurposed materials that she had made into a dress and apron, but she takes care not to snag or tear the clothing on the various thorns along her journey, a trait of the colored elderly of the time as she knew it would be hard to come by more materials. Phoenix has an old umbrella she uses as a cane both for protection and for help seeing what is ahead of her as her vision was not what it was. “Her eyes were blue with age” (Welty 464). Phoenix knows that if she did not complete this journey her grandson would suffer as there is no one to deliver or pick up the much needed medicine. If she was white...
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...consider the events leading up to the conclusion key points of the story, because they can give underlying motives, lessons, and ideas that could be overlooked when viewing the destination as the main idea. In “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “A Worn Path,” two diverse journeys are portrayed. Each journey describes the hardships of life and death and the lack of knowledge of how to prepare for future events; each writing also depicts the thought that the journey lies in the events...
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...their own meaning behind them. A number of the short stories of writers we know as novelists--in this country say Cheever, Paul Bowles, Helprin, Oates--are works of art finer than any of their novels. Sometimes a born short story writer tries to write novels and finally succeeds, as Katherine Anne Porter and Eudora Welty did. Every author puts their own underlying message behind them which they attempt to transport to the reader using their own style, characterization and rhythm which is essentially used for the purposes of the narrative. Every poem and short story is created to form ones imagination or personal experience. It is through their imagination that we are able to apply our own, in a way that all it takes is a few words from the poem or the story to allow us to see what the author was seeing at the moment of writing his/her work and even feel his/her emotion, creating a personal connection with the literature. We use our imagination to visualize what the author is portraying in his writing, but at the same time we apply our own imagination to look deeper into the symbolization and the descriptive language that is being used. “A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty and “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, are two literary pieces that share the same theme, in which each author applies their own writing style and the reader applies its words differently into their lives. Each of this literary works represent how life is a journey and the choices and decision we must make...
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...Two Similar Paths Eng125: Introduction To Literature February 7, 2011 The short stories entitled A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost are extremely opposites in many different aspects however they can have somewhat of a similar meaning. They were both written twenty years apart. Either piece of literature has a long list of characters. A Worn Path’s main focus is about a black woman in the year of 1941. The journeys that are characterized in these writings are symbolic of some meaningful lifelong precedence that one should adhere to. I intend to show that these to paths may not cross one another but they do symbolize hope and promise is at the end of the journey. In The Road Not Taken, roads in the woods and forks in roads symbolize crises and decisions. Similar forks symbolize for us the center of free will and fate. (Frost, 1916) We are free to choose, but we do not really know beforehand what we are choosing between. Our direction is determined by a choice and it is impossible to separate the two. This poem does not advise. It does not say, “When you come to a fork in the road, study the footprints and take the road less traveled by. Frost’s focus is more complicated. First, there is no less-traveled road in this poem; it isn’t even an option. Next, the poem seems more concerned with the question of how the concrete present will look from a future vantage point. (Frost, 1916) In A Worn Path, is the tale of the unstoppable love and care...
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...story, a poem, or a play introduces you to an imaginary world (Clugston, W.R. (2010). When reading literature we must enter the imaginary world; enter the world the author is creating. The story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty in 1941 and the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost in 1916 both use the theme of journey to symbolize life decisions. One speaks of a “Path” the other a “Road” the theme that each of these writings share is presented differently throughout the piece of literature. These two pieces of literature symbolize a journey, through using content, form, style, symbolism and imagination, although used differently in many ways they both are symbolizing a journey through life. The theme in a story is a representation of the idea behind the story (Clugston, W.R.(2010). In the pieces of literature I have chosen, the theme is speaking of journeys, one journey for love and the other life, but both having to make life decisions. The authors took different approaches in showing the reader the journey, the life decisions that had to be made. Both works have characters making a journey. In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, the narrator has been traveling and has reached a point where the road divides. The narrator is a traveler. Likewise, in the short story “A Worn Path”, the main character is on a trip to town. She is travelling from home through the pines up the hill and down the valley. In both the poem and the short story, the characters are walking. When reading...
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