Phoenix Jackson in A Worn Path by Eudora Welty: Courageous or Crazy?

In the short story, “ A Worn Path “ written by Eudora Welty it can be interpreted that Phoenix Jackson is suffering from dementia or some other form of mental illness, and that her grandson that she so lovingly speaks of has been deceased for some time.

Towards the end of the 1800s and into the beginning of the 1900s, the roles of women in society and in the family began to change drastically compared to what it had been in the past. Women were now allowed to own land, vote, and do more than cook and clean. Willa Cather and William Faulkner portray the roles of women in the early 1900s in their short stories, “Neighbor Rosicky” and “A Rose for Emily.” These short stories were both published around the year 1930. Because of what was happening in the US at the time, these stories are very good examples of the ways women were treated at this time.

At the beginning of the story, Phoenix has already answered the call to adventure. She carries with her a small thin cane, which has been made from an umbrella. She uses this to tap the ground as she walked. She probably carries the sick because of her poor eyesight due to age. Phoenix is determined to have a sooth journey for in her tripped dress, she stacks her pockets with foodstuffs. She is aware of the difficult journey that lies ahead of her, and cannot afford to be hungry on her way to town.

for her grand child with lye poisoning. Along the way she encounters several obstacles. Welty throughout the story the author makes several points to connect this work to other famous works of literature to strengthen her character without directly doing so. The author uses imagery to recreate famous parts of The Bible also the main character's name, Phoenix Jackson is a reference to the mystical bird the phoenix which is a symbol for rebirth. Phoenix Jackson symbolically is reborn several times throughout the story. The stories title and main plot point is the path she walks which holds many similarities to the path of life.

One of the many social issues in the early twentieth century involved child labor. Florence Kelley, a United States social worker and reformer, fought successfully for child labor laws as well as improving conditions for working women. Her 1905 speech to the National American Woman Suffrage Association possessed a powerful message towards freeing the children who suffer hours of work producing products for the people to use. She captured her audience by helping them realize the difficulties children faced day and night and presented the solution to the problem. Kelley precisely weaved her rhetorical strategies together with ethos, pathos, and logos to deliver an inspiring speech and furthermore submit a solution that would help children in the present and future.

Despite the generational birth and childhood struggles as depicted in Three Generations of Native American women’s birth experience by Joy Harjo, The Black Mountain, 1977 by Donald Antrim shows a different type relationship between generations. The young native women experience reflects a struggling time of teenage pregnancy. The author expression that the woman made was “I was a poor, mixed-blood woman heavy with a child who would suffer the struggle of poverty, the legacy of loss.” (Nadlehaft, 2008 pg.126).

Although Phoenix Jackson is old, tired, dirty, and poor, nothing can stand in her way. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Phoenix jumps off the page as a vibrant protagonist full of surprises as she embarks on a long, arduous journey to

"A Worn Path," by Eudora Welty is a heartbreaking story about the heroic trip of an old African American woman, Phoenix. The readers won't find out right away the plot of the story or why Phoenix won't give up her exhausting trip to town-the conflict of this story-especially on a very cold day. The title, "A Worn Path," indicates that Phoenix has obviously walked down this path many times before-also the fact that she can cross a creek with her eyes closed confirms the title's message.

surroundings. The main character in the story, Phoenix Jackson, is an old black woman who

“A Worn Path” is set in the South during a time of racism and injustice. Welty utilizes the setting of the story to help readers understand the struggles and hardships faced along the path and in Phoenix Jackson’s life. Welty also allows readers to fathom the battle faced by all African Americans, especially in the South, during this time period. As Phoenix Jackson makes her way pass the cotton field, Welty describes a figure as, “...something tall, black, and skinny there, moving before her.” As a direct effect of Phoenix Jackson’s surroundings and the time period she is living in, she makes the assumption that the figure was a black male that had been lynched. These were the harsh conditions that she had been exposed to most of her life and yet still she persevered through it all. Phoenix is given an opportunity to give up when Welty writes “Over she went in the ditch, like a little puff of milkweed,” but she finds strength to continue her journey. When the hunter points his gun at Phoenix, she

In the story by Eudora Welty, “The Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson is a complex character who defies a stereotype in a symbolic way. Welty's story describe Phoenix as the o;d lady who had to travel miles a day in order to prove to the other characters that her grandson was not dead. Having to prove that her grandson was not dead Phoenix had three traits of characteristics. She was loving, determined, and persistent. These traits help her to overcome being stereotyped and ultimately her overcoming these stereotype made her symbolic in the journey, her name, and the time frame in which the event happen.

In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” the character Phoenix Jackson is introduced. Phoenix Jackson is an uneducated, African-American woman without any family besides her sick grandson. Phoenix is the hero of this story and fits the role well by delivering much-needed medicine to her grandson. Phoenix shows many distinct traits that reveal her to be a hero to her grandson. The heroic feats she accomplishes pave a path that leads to her satisfaction as well as protection of her most beloved asset, her grandson. Throughout the story, Phoenix’s humble, caring, and determined character is displayed through her actions.

Laura Garcia Mrs. Metzker English lll B 22 April 2016 Have you ever felt like giving up but something keeps you going, leading you to your path? This is the story of Phoenix Jackson, a small and very old color woman from short story, “A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty. This short story was published on February 1941, and is about an old lady making her way to town, to a charity where she will receive her grandson’s medicine for his sickness condition. Old lady, Jackson, passes through many challenging situations on her way to her path, but she does not give up. This short story shows that love for someone can make you do the impossible and its characters are realistic because of their appearance, description, and actions.

Phoenix lived in a society where racism was still running strong. Yet she faced and dealt with that every day of her life. As an African-American slave, she would have toil in the fields, wondering if she would still be alive by the time the sun was setting. Phoenix is visible shaken with a run a scarecrow she believed to be a ghost. She says to image, "'Ghost,' she said sharply, 'who be you the ghost of? For I have heard of nary death close by” (Welty 24).Slave mothers would often show that same fear as they watched the shadows return from the field; wondering if their loved ones were still alive or was going to come home unharmed. Phoenix faced those same fears as a mother and grandmother. If Phoenix was caught in the

Mary Hood’s short story, “How Far She Went,” depicts a strong-willed grandmother as the lead character that is proven throughout the story when interacting with her granddaughter. The grandmother in “How Far She Went” exercises her assertiveness and strength in “How Far She Went” by disciplining her granddaughter, completing manual labor, having a protective mindset, and having authority. To assert her strong will, the grandmother disciplines her granddaughter: “The women had to stretch across the table to leave her handprint on that blank cheek” (111). This display of toughness encourages readers to understand that the grandmother does not tolerate misbehavior. Additionally, the grandmother’s strength is also demonstrated when the grandma