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“A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty: Analysis

“A Worn Path” Eudora Welty, first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1941, gained popularity for its powerful portrayal of an elderly African American woman’s journey.

Introduction: “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

Table of Contents

“A Worn Path” Eudora Welty, first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1941, gained popularity for its powerful portrayal of an elderly African American woman’s journey through the rural South to a town where she intends to obtain medicine for her grandson. Over the years, the story has continued to resonate with readers and has been widely anthologized, becoming one of Welty’s most famous and enduring works. Its themes of perseverance, resilience, and the enduring strength of the human spirit have made it a timeless classic of American literature.

Main Events in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

• An Elderly Woman’s Mission: Phoenix Jackson, an elderly Black woman, sets out on a long, familiar journey through the December countryside. Her strength and determination are evident despite her age and the challenges she will face.
• Obstacles Along the Path: Phoenix encounters various obstacles symbolizing life’s hardships: a thorny bush that snags her dress, a creek crossing on a log, and a barbed-wire fence that she must crawl under. She perseveres, speaking aloud to keep her spirits up.
• Facing the Past and Present: In a field, Phoenix comes across a scarecrow that she momentarily mistakes for a ghost. This encounter could represent the lingering shadows of the past and its hardships.
• An Unpleasant Encounter: A young white hunter disrupts Phoenix’s journey, condescendingly laughing at her and belittling her mission. He unknowingly drops a nickel, which Phoenix cleverly retrieves, hinting at her quiet resilience in the face of prejudice.
• Arrival in Town: Phoenix finally reaches Natchez, the bustling town decorated for Christmas. The stark contrast between the rural, natural world and the city environment can be seen as symbolic. She humbly asks a kind woman to tie her shoe, restoring some dignity for her entrance to the town.
• Seeking Help at the Clinic: Phoenix enters a medical clinic where she seeks the crucial medicine for her grandson. Initially dismissed by the attendant, she is recognized by a nurse who knows the reason for her recurring trips.
• A Moment of Forgetfulness: Phoenix briefly forgets her grandson and the medicine’s purpose. This temporary lapse of memory highlights her age and the difficult burden her journey represents.
• Medicine and Hope: Reminded by the nurse, Phoenix shares the ongoing struggle of her grandson, who suffers from the effects of accidentally swallowing lye. She receives the medicine and money from the attendant. Her purchase of a windmill with the money represents an enduring symbol of hope and love amidst hardship.
• Homeward Bound: Phoenix begins her long journey back, carrying both the physical medicine and the windmill – a small but joyous gift for the one she loves.

Literary Devices in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

• Allegory : The entire story functions as an allegory for the resilience of the human spirit, particularly in marginalized communities like the rural Black South during the Jim Crow era. Phoenix’s repeated journey represents overcoming ongoing struggles and maintaining hope amid hardship.
• Alliteration : The use of repeated consonant sounds creates a musical effect: “Seem like there is chains about my feet…”
• Dialect : Welty uses a distinct dialect to represent Phoenix’s speech, grounding her character in a specific time and region: “…I the oldest people I ever know.”
• Foreshadowing : The scarecrow Phoenix mistakes for a ghost hints at a potential danger or death that she bravely faces.
• Imagery: Vivid sensory details bring the setting and Phoenix’s experience to life: “The sun made the pine needles almost too bright to look at…”
• Juxtaposition: The natural world’s beauty and harshness are contrasted with the bustle and potential indifference of the town, highlighting Phoenix’s journey across two worlds.
• Metaphor: Comparisons without using “like” or “as” enhance the story’s meaning: “Her eyes were blue with age.”
• Motif: The recurring image of the path symbolizes Phoenix’s continued determination and the cyclical nature of her journey and struggles.
• Personification: Giving non-human things human qualities, making the world seem alive and interactive for Phoenix: “Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don’t let none of those come running my direction.”
• Point of View: The third-person limited point of view takes us directly into Phoenix’s mind, revealing her internal thoughts and perceptions of the world.
• Repetition: Phoenix repeats phrases throughout, mirroring the cyclical nature of her journey and her determination: “…I got a long way.”
• Simile: Comparisons using “like” or “as” create vivid descriptions: “…a little tree stood in the middle of her forehead.”
• Symbolism: Various objects gain deeper meaning:
• The path: The journey of life, and specifically Phoenix’s ongoing struggles
• The windmill: Hope and love that endures
• The scarecrow: Potential dangers, remnants of the past
• Theme: Central ideas explored in the work:
• Perseverance: Phoenix’s journey embodies an enduring spirit despite hardship.
• Love: Her selfless love for her grandson motivates her.
• Overcoming Prejudice: Subtle hints at the racial prejudice Phoenix faces.
• Tone: The story’s overall emotional quality is one of both hardship and quiet determination, reflecting Phoenix’s perspective.

Characterization in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

Major character.

• Physical Description: An elderly Black woman, small and frail, with age evident in her blue eyes and wrinkled skin. Her clothing is worn but neat.
• Personality: Determined, resilient, resourceful, and deeply loving. She talks to herself and to nature to maintain her strength. Her brief memory lapse reveals her age and the burden of her regular journey.
• Symbolic Role: Phoenix represents the enduring strength of marginalized communities, particularly Black women in the rural South, and the unwavering power of love to overcome hardship.

Minor Characters

• Physical Description: Young, white male carrying a gun and a dog.
• Personality: Condescending, dismissive, casually racist. His interaction with Phoenix highlights prejudice in the era.
• Role: Represents an obstacle and underscores the social realities Phoenix faces.
• Role: Initially disregards Phoenix, focused on procedure.
• Development: A subtle shift occurs after the nurse’s intervention, leading the attendant to offer a condescending act of “charity”.
• Role: Recognizes Phoenix and understands her reason for coming. Shows a degree of kindness and familiarity.
• Motivation: He is never seen, but his suffering from the effects of lye is the driving force behind Phoenix’s journey, representing the selfless love motivating her.

Major Themes in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

Writing Style in “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

Dialect and Voice:

• Welty uses a distinct Southern dialect for Phoenix’s dialogue and internal thoughts. This adds authenticity, reflects the specific region and era, and brings the reader into Phoenix’s perspective.
• ·  Example: “Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far…”

Imagery and Sensory Details:

• Vivid descriptions engage the reader’s senses.
• Emphasis on natural imagery: the path, trees, animals, creating a rich atmosphere.
• Example: “The sun made the pine needles almost too bright to look at…”
• Objects and events carry deeper significance beyond their literal meaning.
• The path: Represents life’s journey and ongoing struggles.
• The scarecrow: Potential dangers or the looming presence of death.
• The windmill: A symbol of hope and love for her grandson.

Point of View:

• Third-person limited perspective puts us directly in Phoenix’s mind.
• This allows insight into her thoughts, perceptions, and motivations, building empathy.

Stream-of-Consciousness Moments:

• Phoenix’s internal monologues reveal her determination, struggles, and relationship with nature.
• Example: “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons, and wild animals!…”

Juxtaposition:

• Contrasting elements are placed side-by-side to highlight differences and create depth.
• The natural world vs. the town.
• Phoenix’s inner strength vs. her physical frailty.

Literary Theories and Interpretation of “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

Questions and Thesis Statements about “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

1. Topic: Symbolism and Meaning

• Question: How does Eudora Welty use symbolism to create deeper meaning in “A Worn Path”? Choose two key symbols and analyze their significance.
• Thesis Statement: In “A Worn Path,” Welty employs the symbols of the path and the scarecrow to represent the ongoing challenges of life and Phoenix Jackson’s relentless determination to overcome them.

2. Topic: Perseverance and the Human Spirit

• Question: In what ways is Phoenix Jackson a symbol of perseverance? How does her journey reflect broader themes of the enduring human spirit?
• Thesis Statement: Phoenix Jackson embodies perseverance through her unwavering determination in the face of physical frailty, social obstacles, and a harsh environment, signifying the broader human capacity to overcome adversity.

3. Topic: Love and Sacrifice

• Question: How does the power of love motivate Phoenix Jackson’s repeated journey? Analyze the connection between her selfless actions and her grandson’s wellbeing.
• Thesis Statement: Phoenix’s unwavering love for her grandson motivates her arduous journey, demonstrating the immense sacrifices individuals make for those they love and the enduring power of love as a force for resilience.

4. Topic: Social Commentary and Race

• Question: How does “A Worn Path” subtly address issues of race and social inequality in the Jim Crow South?
• Thesis Statement: While not explicitly focused on racial conflict, “A Worn Path” offers nuanced commentary on the social dynamics of the Jim Crow era, highlighting Phoenix’s quiet resilience in the face of subtle discrimination and systemic barriers.

Short Question-Answer about “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

Literary Works Similar to “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

• Focus on an elderly woman reflecting on her life and facing mortality.
• Stream-of-consciousness style for internal thoughts.
• Exploration of family relationships, tradition, and heritage within African American families in the rural South.
• Themes of generational differences and the preservation of cultural identity.
• Explores hardship, suffering, and the search for meaning in marginalized communities.
• Themes of family, redemption, and the power of art in coping with struggle.
• Southern Gothic atmosphere with themes of isolation, the past’s influence, and a solitary protagonist.
• Explores the complexities of the human psyche and unexpected depths.
• Southern settings with explorations of morality, faith, and often-grotesque characters.
• Themes of grace, redemption, and unexpected twists.

Key Similarities (unchanged):

• Focus on marginalized characters: Often center on elderly protagonists, women, and/or African American characters.
• Exploration of Southern life and culture: Examine unique challenges and resilience within the American South.
• Themes of resilience, struggle, and the enduring human spirit: Characters face hardships with varying degrees of success.
• Rich language and complex symbolism: Employ literary devices with depth and symbolism

Suggested Readings: “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty

• Bloom, Harold, ed. Eudora Welty (Bloom’s Modern Critical Views) . Chelsea House Publications, 2007.
• Gretlund, Jan Nordby. Eudora Welty’s Aesthetics of Place . University of Delaware Press, 1994.
• Vande Kieft, Ruth M. Eudora Welty . Twayne Publishers, 1987.
• Fordham, Michael. “Phoenix of the Fable: Narrative and Meaning in Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path.'” Studies in Short Fiction , vol. 46, no. 4, 2009, pp. 563-572.
• Gillman, Susan. “The Habit of Being: Letters, Art, and the Performance of Self in Eudora Welty.” Critical Inquiry , vol. 31, no. 2, 2005, pp. 369-398.
• Weston, Ruth D. “The Way It Is With Some People’: Voice in Eudora Welty’s Short Fiction.” Modern Fiction Studies , vol. 13, no. 3, 1967, pp. 382-387.
• Contains scholarly articles, bibliographies, and resources for studying Welty’s work.
• Offers an overview of the story with historical and cultural context.

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A Summary and Analysis of Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘A Worn Path’ is a short story by the American writer Eudora Welty (1909-2001), first published in the Southern Review in 1937 and reprinted in Welty’s 1941 collection A Curtain of Green and Other Stories . ‘A Worn Path’ details the journey an elderly black woman makes into town one Christmas time, in order to get some medicine for her grandson.

Before we offer an analysis of this deeply symbolic story, it might be worth recapping the plot.

‘A Worn Path’: plot summary

One cold December morning, an elderly black woman named Phoenix Jackson walks into town to get some medicine for her grandson. She is very old and the journey is fraught with obstacles. At one point, a black dog appears and, although she tries to shoo it away, the sudden appearance of the dog forces her to fall into a ditch.

A white hunter appears and he helps her up, before going after the dog with his gun and his own dog. Phoenix hears shots fired, and steals a nickel from the man, which had fallen onto the ground without him realising. She pockets it before he comes back. He tells her she’s too old and frail to be walking so far and that she should go home, but she insists she must go into town.

When she arrives in town, all the Christmas decorations are up and a woman carrying presents passes Phoenix on the path. Phoenix asks the woman to lace up her shoe for her, and the woman does so. Phoenix goes to the hospital, where the attendant initially mistakes Phoenix for a charity case. Phoenix doesn’t respond when asked who she is, until mention of her grandson (by a nurse who comes in and recognises her) suddenly jogs her memory.

It turns out that she regularly makes this journey into town to get some medicine for her grandson, who swallowed some lye several years ago and remains bedridden as a result. Phoenix says it is just her and her grandson and she has to take care of him.

Once she has been given the medicine, she goes to leave, but the attendant gives her a nickel as it’s Christmas time. She places it next to the nickel she took from the hunter she met on the path, and announces that she will go and buy a paper windmill for her grandson, as he will not believe such a thing exists.

‘A Worn Path’: analysis

‘A Worn Path’ is a deeply symbolic story, in which the ‘worn path’ is both literal and metaphorical. Phoenix – whose very name summons the mythical bird that rose from the ashes of its own funeral pyre – is ageing and frail, and the worn path of life has taken its toll on her, but she nevertheless undertakes this journey, which is symbolic in other ways as well.

Usually, the hero who undertakes such a journey is seeking to find someone: Odysseus, in Homer’s Odyssey , wishes to seek Tiresias the seer, who can prophesy how the hero’s quest will unfold; Orpheus goes into Hades to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice; and so on.

Phoenix is similarly on a quest, and, perhaps surprisingly, the quest she is undertaking may not be the search for a medicine for her grandson but for her grandson himself.

How can that be, when he is bedridden at home? One of the questions which the ending of ‘A Worn Path’ raises is whether Phoenix’s grandson is, in fact, already dead.

Although she denies this, there are some suggestions that he has already passed away from his illness: the repeated references to how the grandson’s throat ‘never heals’ and how ‘obstinate’ his condition is can be read as deliberately ambiguous, hinting at either a chronic and constant affliction or Phoenix’s refusal to accept that her grandson died of his ailments some time ago.

It also seems strange that Phoenix should forget why she had undertaken such a difficult journey, if her grandson’s health is truly dependent on receiving such life-preserving medicine.

Instead, Welty hints at an alternative interpretation, whereby ‘A Worn Path’ is the story of a woman’s psychological inability to give up her last living relative, and accept that he is, in fact, dead and she is now all alone. (As she has the responsibility of fetching his medicine, the boy’s own parents, we deduce, are either absent or dead.)

She performs this ritual on a regular basis, and the people at the hospital humour her out of charity, seeing how important this journey is for Phoenix, and perhaps even suspecting that it is the only thing that keeps her going, providing a reason to go on living.

The journey may be fraught with physical hardship, but the alternative is to give up altogether. The ‘worn path’, then, might be itself a metaphor for life: living is hard and we will find our fair share of obstacles and dangers lying in wait for us, but the alternative is not to walk the path at all.

Given how invested with symbolism ‘A Worn Path’ is, the final words – which describe another kind of ‘descent’, as Phoenix walks down the stairs, ‘going down’ – complicate and even problematise the more optimistic meaning lurking within her name.

She may be likened to a phoenix – a bird which rises from the ashes of its own funeral pyre – and this may imply that she will keep on going, no matter what. But has something changed during this particular journey and her encounter in the hospital?

Why does Welty focus on this journey: is it because it is the last time she will ever walk that worn path? Note how she not only forgets what she is doing there, but grows vacant, not even acknowledging the nurse’s questions. Has she finally realised he is no longer alive, and is she finally letting go? And if so, do those final words imply that she is ready to ‘go down’ herself, and descend from this life into the next?

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A Worn Path

by Eudora Welty

A worn path summary and analysis of "a worn path".

It is a bright but cold morning in December when an old woman named Phoenix Jackson sets out along a worn path she knows well. Armed with a cane in her hand and red rag to keep her head warm, she sways side to side a bit as she walks in the still air. Her shoelaces are untied but she does not trip, even as she keeps her eyes in front of her. Her skin is a “golden color” and covered with “numberless branching wrinkles.”

When there is movement in thick vegetation lining the path, she vocally threatens the mysterious animals who may be living there and steadfastly refuses to push back or pull up. When the path starts to run uphill, Phoenix complains that it feels as chains are around her feet, but still she presses on. Once she reaches the top of the hill she rests only a moment to look at what is spread out before her. A thorny bush catches her dress, but she finds the strength to pull herself free and keep up her momentum.

When she reaches the bottom of the hill, she is forced to make her way over a creek by inching across a fallen log. Once on the other side, she finally takes a moment to rest. As she does, she imagines she sees a small boy appearing before her holding a slice of marble-cake on a plate. Upon reaching for the cake, however, all she grasps is air, and the boy is no longer there.

Setting off once again, Phoenix soon encounters another obstruction: a fence of barbed wire under which she must crawl on her hands and knees. Once on the other side, she makes her way through a cornfield complete with buzzards and a scarecrow. Next comes a ravine where she stops to take a sip of water from a spring.

Then it is through a swampy area and a long stretch of road on which she encounters a threatening black dog. When the dog comes at her, she gives it a snap of the cane but falls over in turn. A white man—a hunter—helps her from the spill she took into the ditch. He starts out nicely by asking her if she all right and then asks where she is going. When she answers that she is headed into town, he laughs that “colored people” never want to miss “going to town to see Santa Claus.”

During their conversation, Phoenix notices that a nickel falls out of his pocket but the man does not notice. She manages to take it when he is distracted by his dog, and slips it into her apron pocket. His last words are warning her to go back home and stay out of harm, but she is determined to fulfill her mission.

Phoenix finally arrives at the city of Natchez, Mississippi. It is festooned with Christmas decorations and lights. She sees a white woman in the street carrying Christmas presents, and asks her if she will tie her shoelaces for her. The woman assents.

Phoenix enters a building and goes up to a woman seated at a desk, who assumes that Phoenix is another charity case. When asked why she is here, Phoenix does not respond, leading the attendant to rudely question if she is deaf. A nurse appears, who recognizes Phoenix and informs the attendant that she is there to get medicine for her grandson who swallowed lye a few years earlier. When the nurse inquires if the medicine the doctor gave did anything to improve the condition of her grandson’s throat and Phoenix once again does not reply, the nurse complains that she is wasting their valuable time. As if waking from a dream, Phoenix apologizes for a temporary loss of memory. She informs the nurse that her grandson’s throat closes up on occasion and he has trouble swallowing. For this reason, more medicine is required. When the nurse brings her another bottle of medicine, she hands it over and says “Charity” before checking her accounts book.

The attendant hands Phoenix a nickel as a Christmas gift. The old woman takes it and then removes the nickel she put into her apron after the white hunter dropped it. Holding them both in her hand, Phoenix announces she is going to use the ten cents to buy a paper windmill as a Christmas present for her grandson. Then, with a nod, she leaves.

“ A Worn Path ” is one of Welty’s most famous short stories. Much of its appeal lies in that it appears to be a simple story—an elderly woman travels through the forest to a city where she can get medicine for her ailing grandson—but that simplicity is belied by deeper themes of race, myth, religion, and life and death. There have been many critical interpretations of the story in the eighty or so years since its publication, and we will consider some of those here.

First, it offers a masterful lesson in the art of literary point of view. Not just any literary point of view, either, but the one that probably is the most difficult for readers to identify. That perspective is technically known as limited omniscience. Welty takes the reader into the mind of her powerfully conceived central figure, Phoenix, in a way that allows the reader to fully inhabit the mind of this person at certain time and place, but what is real and what is only imagined commingle. The fusing of fantasy and reality is absolutely essential for the story, because Welty wants to endow a quotidian event —a walk by an old woman to see a doctor—with far more mythic properties. Phoenix’s name is key here, for the phoenix is an Egyptian mythological creature—a bird who lived for an immensely long time, burst into flame, and was reborn from its ashes. It is thus an ancient symbol of rebirth, of perseverance.

Welty could simply have had Phoenix tell her story using first-person perspective, of course, but that would present two obstacles. First, a story in which a person is relating the strange and unusual encounters such as Phoenix experiences would likely be viewed as less mythic than mentally disturbed. Secondly, were Phoenix narrating the events in her own voice, imagery such as “With her hands on her knees, the old woman waited, silent, erect and motionless, just as if she were in armor” would have had to be jettisoned. Phoenix would certainly not talk using such lofty language and it is equally doubtful she would write that way. Therefore, Welty had to find a way both to take the reader inside the mind of a person significantly less educated than herself while not limiting her own ability to write about that person in a way reflective of that intelligence.

It is Welty’s literary intelligence that transforms “A Worn Path” into a powerful lesson in the art of limited omniscience. The simple construction of the information that “a bush caught her dress” immediately situates the reader into scene from Phoenix’s perspective. The verb choice here personifies the bush; more than making it human, it also indicates intent. This trip through nature is not going to be just any sort of walk; the natural world wants to tell this woman something on this day. Welty also manipulates language to allow fantasy and reality to intrude upon the old woman’s journey without making any clear distinction. For instance, Welty presents the information that “a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble cake on it” in exactly the same manner that as her self-extrication from the bush. The scarecrow looms menacingly in the shadows in real time for both Phoenix and the reader. While still maintaining the narrative logic of allowing for figurative language beyond Phoenix’s capacity, the reader also sees things through Phoenix’s eyes.

As Phoenix is journeying on a wilderness path with many obstacles, it is unsurprising that critics have focused on the story’s allegorical, religious, mythological, and historical connections. One interpretation is that Phoenix’s quest is in line with Christianity. There are allusions to Eden (the snakes), the parting of the Red Sea (the corn field), the River Jordan and the City of Heaven (Natchez), and the Christ-child in the manger (her grandson with his “sweet look” and his mouth like “a little bird”). At the end of the story Phoenix procures life-giving medicine and saves her grandson; she is often seen as Moses, who paved the way for Christ.

Other critics look at Phoenix’s connection with nature. As she perambulates the path, she talks frankly to the animals and plants in her path as if she knows them. She does not evince fear or hostility; when thorns catch her, she simply says, “Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass—no, sir,” and the narrator assures us, “It was not possible to allow the dress to tear.” The dog startles her, but is not otherwise aggressive. She makes it over a log, through a maze, and through a swamp. James Robert Saunders points out that “once she arrives at the log, a bridge that nature has provided, she can ‘march’ across without even looking until she has reached the other side. On she marches through some areas that have no path at all . . . ”

While it is common to associate women, especially African American women, with nature, ecofeminist theorists caution against this reductiveness. In particular, Mae Miller-Claxton explains that while Phoenix does indeed have a connection to nature that allows her a wisdom and knowledge other characters do not possess, she is absolutely rooted in her time and place as a black woman in Jim Crow Mississippi. On the first point, Phoenix traverses a path that is an interstitial place between nature and civilization. She comfortably coexists with nature and “displays an awareness that the natural world was here long before her birth and will continue long afterward.” However, as she gets closer to Natchez—the human world, the world dominated by a system of racial hierarchy and violence—things become more problematic. She passes a barbed-wire fence under which she has to “creep and crawl.” She then sees one of the most ominous images in the story: “Big dead trees, like black men with one arm, were standing in the purple stalks of the withered cotton field. There sat a buzzard.” The buzzard is a clear symbol of death, which is heightened by the fact this is a cotton field—a field where slaves and sharecroppers toiled. The image of the “black men with one arm” is associated with lynching, a common act of racial violence in the South during the Jim Crow era. Claxton provides statistics showing that from 1882-1968, 539 black people were lynched, with more deaths probably going unrecorded. Phoenix “would have lived in an environment of fear, where the beautiful pastoral landscape could be the setting for a grim purpose.” This is not an Eden, but a place where real terrors and dangers exist for black people.

The most conspicuous danger for Phoenix is, of course, the white hunter. Welty specifically identifies his race and almost immediately, though the young man helps her out of the ditch, there is a palpable sense of tension. He tells her in a friendly authoritative and stern manner that it’s “too far” for her to go to town, and says, “Now you go on home, Granny!” When she says she can’t, he dismisses her with a demeaning comment: “I know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going to town to see Santa Claus!” The hunter’s gun is present throughout the entire scene as a symbol of his power and ability to deal death to both the bobwhites and herself. After he tries to get his dog to attack the other dog in a metonymic display of strength, he turns the gun on Phoenix and asks if the gun scares her. She holds “utterly still” and says she’s “seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done.” With that, the hunter shoulders his gun but still sees fit to give her his “advice” that she ought to stay home. As she’s not a slave and he’s not a master, there’s nothing he can do to force her go home, but he’s clearly in a position of power nonetheless. Welty makes it clear that the hunter is a threat to Phoenix and the nonhuman world, but Phoenix still gets a tiny edge on him by observing a nickel fall from his pocket (he’ll later lie to her and say he has no money). When the dogs scuffle, Phoenix reaches down and lifts up the piece of money “with the grace and care they would have in lifting an egg from under a setting hen.” She wonders if God is watching and if she “come to stealing,” but it actually seems like a divinely-ordained; if Phoenix is as old as she is and her eyes are “blue with age,” how could she have seen that nickel fall out?

Phoenix reaches Natchez, which Claxton informs us is a “symbol of American pioneerism and Manifest Destiny” as well as the “apotheosis of King Cotton” before the Civil War. Welty would have known Natchez as a place of oppression and discrimination, which is why things starkly shift for Phoenix when she comes to the town. She is not part of the consumerism of the town, as signified by the woman in the streets with her presents. She does not have the education that the diploma in the doctor’s office indicates; as Claxton says, “It is a tangible sign of education that gives his knowledge more credibility than her knowledge acquired through years or living far from a town or city—knowledge of what kind of water to drink and the trees and animals in her world.” Now that she is standing before the attendant, her voice, which was so strong with the animals and fields and thorns, falters. Both the nurse and the attendant just see her as a check mark, as charity. As Elaine Orr writes, “as a charity case, she loses all agency, all fluidity. She is no longer the graceful writer of her path.” She cannot reply to the attendant and nurse’s questions, which critics have interpreted as senility, self-consciousness, or a bit of slipperiness and deviance in forcing the women to work harder to get answers out of her. However, Phoenix does make it through the human world just as she did the nonhuman one. She has persevered to get her beloved grandfather the medicine he needs, and she has also managed to get another nickel out of the attendant.

Kevin Moberly also looks at “A Worn Path” through the lens of slavery and the slave narrative tradition. There are several things in the story that bear this comparison out. First, there is the diploma, which instead of being important as an indicator of difference, could symbolize “the physical proof of a slave’s freedom, a certificate of manumission. Moreover, the diploma symbolizes the hope of education and literacy.” Second, Moberly explains how, yes, Phoenix is heading south, not north, and “to successive stages of bondage,” but at the end she is “imagining herself following the North Star home to her grandson, holding it out in front of her as she effectively retraces and reverses the course of her journey South.”

To conclude, critic Roland Bartel propounds a theory that fascinated many readers and other critics: that the grandson is actually dead. He states that Phoenix’s journey is a “psychological necessity,” and “her only way of coping with her loss and her isolation.” Her journey is a “ritual that symbolically brings her grandson back to life.” Bartel’s evidence for this comes from several places in the story: the vision of the young boy offering her cake may indicate her vanished grandson; her blaming of her lapse of memory in the doctor’s office on her illiteracy is unconvincing, and it would make more sense if she had trouble articulating why she was there if her grandson was dead; her comment about not forgetting her grandson (“I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time”); the going down the stairway at the end of the story suggests a Dantean descent into hell, and the ascent and descent “[strengthen] the thematic unity and symmetry of the story by beginning and ending with references to death.” Bartel says Phoenix ultimately invents this fiction of her grandson still being alive to “make the last portion of her life bearable.” Welty was asked about the grandson being dead numerous times, and responded somewhat elliptically, “the grandson’s plight was real and it made the truth of the story, which is the story of an errand of love carried out. If the child no longer lived, the truth would persist in the wornness of the path. But his being dead can’t increase the truth of the story, can’t affect it one way or the other. I think I signal this, because the end of the story has been reached before old Phoenix gets home again: she simply starts back. To the question ‘Is the grandson really dead?’ I could reply that it doesn’t make any difference. I could also say that I did not make him in in order to let him play a trick on Phoenix. But my best answer would be: ‘ Phoenix is alive.’”

A Worn Path Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for A Worn Path is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Phoenix is old; she has trouble with mobility and vision. Phoenix must face many obstacles on the worn path on the way to town. She has trouble seeing a scarecrow, she thinks it might be a ghost, and she doesn't see a black dog approach her.

How is the name of the central character significant in the narrative?

The phoenix is an immortal bird associated with Greek mythology that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. The central character demonstrates this by repeating an arduous journey.

Who did the hunter think Phoenix was going to town to see?

During her journey, Phoenix has an altercation with a dog that comes after her. She hits the dog wih her cane, but falls over in turn. At this point, a white man—a hunter—helps her from the spill she took into the ditch. He starts out nicely by...

Study Guide for A Worn Path

A Worn Path study guide contains a biography of Eudora Welty, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About A Worn Path
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Essays for A Worn Path

A Worn Path essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Worn Path by Eudora Welty.

• Inspiration Through Storytelling: Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path"
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• How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .

Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.

You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:

• Start with a question
• Write your initial answer
• Develop your answer
• Refine your thesis statement

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What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.

A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.

The best thesis statements are:

• Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
• Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
• Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.

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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.

You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.

You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?

For example, you might ask:

After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .

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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.

In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.

The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.

In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.

The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.

A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:

• Why you hold this position
• What they’ll learn from your essay
• The key points of your argument or narrative

The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.

These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.

Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:

• In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
• In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :

• Ask a question about your topic .
• Write your initial answer.
• Develop your answer by including reasons.
• Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.

The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .

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McCombes, S. (2023, August 15). How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 28, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/thesis-statement/

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A Worn Path

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What is a good thesis statement A worn path?

"A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty explores themes of perseverance, love, and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The protagonist, Phoenix Jackson, embarks on a physically challenging journey to obtain medicine for her grandson, symbolizing the enduring power of maternal love and determination. Through her journey, Welty highlights the resilience and dignity of marginalized individuals within society.

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What is the conclusion of a worn path?

The conclusion of "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty is that Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist, successfully reaches her destination to obtain medicine for her grandson. Despite facing many obstacles on her journey, Phoenix's determination and perseverance are ultimately rewarded, emphasizing themes of love, sacrifice, and resilience.

What is the paradox in the road not taken?

The paradox in "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is that the speaker claims to have taken the less-traveled path, implying uniqueness and independence, but also acknowledges that both paths were equally worn, suggesting they were actually quite similar. This paradox highlights the theme of self-deception and the uncertainty of knowing whether our choices truly make a difference in the end.

Is phoenix Jackson a heroine in the traditional sense of the word?

Yes, Phoenix Jackson can be considered a heroine in the traditional sense as she demonstrates courage, perseverance, and selflessness throughout her journey to obtain medicine for her grandson in Eudora Welty's short story "A Worn Path." Despite facing numerous obstacles and challenges, she remains determined and resourceful, embodying traits typically associated with heroic figures.

What is a peace scarf?

A peace scarf is a garment or accessory typically adorned with symbols of peace, such as doves, peace signs, or messages of peace. It is often worn as a fashion statement or to promote peace and solidarity.

What metaphor can be used for the word comfortable?

"Comfortable as a well-worn pair of shoes."

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A Worn Path

Eudora welty, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

In its depiction of the journey of an impoverished black woman in Mississippi, “A Worn Path” explores the realities of race and class in the South at a time when slavery was still within living memory. The depiction of race in the story is not simplistic. Rather, through Phoenix’s experiences with other people, Welty shows the complicated ways that blacks and whites interact in the early 1940s South, with single encounters shifting within moments from kindness to menace, helpfulness to command. Symbolically, perhaps unexpectedly, a black dog and a black scarecrow derail Phoenix’s journey, suggesting how the fact of their race disadvantages black people. Meanwhile, a white hunter who at first helps Phoenix to her feet after she’s fallen then points a gun at her, threatening her in an almost casual manner, a reflection of the privilege afforded to white people at that time in the South and the fundamental disregard whites had for the security or comfort of black people. However, at the end of the story, after successfully reaching the city and getting medicine for her sick grandson and gathering together ten cents in the process, Phoenix raises her “free arm” and thinks of the present she will buy her grandson. In this way her own path from slavery to freedom is emphasized, and Phoenix’s grandson becomes a symbol of the possibility of a better future of black people, though his illness suggests that possibility is by no means assured.

Phoenix is described as an incredibly poor woman, and she is acutely aware of the trapping of class. She desires, for example, that her shoes be tied so she has some dignity before entering what seems to be the town hospital. At the same time, Phoenix is not above stealing a bit of money, as when she distracts the hunter and slyly nicks a nickel. After her theft, though, she worries about her vulnerability to punishment as a poor black women, reflecting that she has seen “plenty [guns] go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done”. Later, in the hospital, the attendant gives her a nickel as charity, and while standing “stiffly” she “carefully” accepts the coin. From these instances we understand that Phoenix is both proud and clever, thinking highly of herself but not above getting the money and medicine she needs through whatever means she can, while also being aware of the potential debasement and dangers of her position. Money becomes a tool of empowerment for Phoenix, even as the stealing and the charity suggest a separation of classes. That she then uses the money not to buy the bare necessities but rather for a relatively luxurious – and certainly delicate – paper windmill that will show her grandson the wonders of the world suggests her hope of what the future holds and the way that having hope fuels her will to go on, but also the fragility of achieving those hopes in a world of unyielding racial and class divisions.

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Race and Class Quotes in A Worn Path

“Seems like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far…Something always takes a hold of me on this hill—pleads I should stay.”

"Why, that's too far! That's as far as I walk when I come out myself, and I get something for my trouble." He patted the stuffed bag he carried, and there hung down a little closed claw. It was one of the bob-whites, with its beak hooked bitterly to show it was dead. "Now you go on home, Granny!"

He gave another laugh, filling the whole landscape. "I know you old colored people! Wouldn't miss going to town to see Santa Claus!"

“He ain’t scared of nobody. He a big black dog.”

Phoenix heard the dogs fighting, and heard the man running and throwing sticks. She even heard a gunshot. But she was slowly bending forward by that time, further and further forward, the lids stretched down over her eyes, as if she were doing this in her sleep. Her chin was lowered almost to her knees. The yellow palm of her hand came out from the fold of her apron. Her fingers slid down and along the ground under the piece of money with the grace and care they would have in lifting an egg from under a setting hen. Then she slowly straightened up, she stood erect, and the nickel was in her apron pocket. A bird flew by. Her lips moved. "God watching me the whole time. I come to stealing."

“No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done.”

“I’d give you a dime if I had any money with me. But you take my advice and stay home, and nothing will happen to you.”

"See my shoe," said Phoenix. "Do all right for out in the country, but wouldn't look right to go in a big building." "Stand still then, Grandma," said the lady. She put her packages down on the sidewalk beside her and laced and tied both shoes tightly.

She entered a door, and there she saw nailed up on the wall the document that had been stamped with the gold seal and framed in the gold frame, which matched the dream that was hung up in her head.

“Here I be,” she said. There was a fixed and ceremonial stiffness over her body.

“We is the only two left in the world. He suffer and it don’t seem to put him back at all…He going to last…I could tell him from all the others in creation.”

“This is what come to me to do…I going to the store and buy my child a little windmill they sells, made out of paper. He going to find it hard to believe there such a thing in the world.”

She lifted her free hand, gave a little nod, turned around…Then her slow step began on the stairs, going down.