Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay, Research Paper

In? A Worn Path? Eudora Welty? s secret plan is non all that clear in the

beginning of her short narrative, but progresses as her character carries on against

all of the overpowering forces against her. In this short narrative a black aged

adult female, Phoenix Jackson, must get the better of the odds against her as she valorously

travels through many obstructions in order to lend to the health of her

grandson, for whom she is doing this trip down? a worn path. ? It is at this

point that all of Welty? s readers? Black Marias open up to this hapless, aged

adult female as she makes an effort to transport on her love for her grandson by taking a

long journey down a familiar way in order to acquire medicine that seems to assist

ease his illness strivings. However, there are many forces against Phoenix that

Welty includes in her narrative in order to do Phoenix? s adventure terminal in a

triumph. Poverty, old age, and her journey through the forests are all of the odds

which Phoenix must get the better of. Poverty is a major adversity that most of us will

ne’er have to face, but in Phoenix? s instance, poorness is present everyday in her

and her grandson? s life. Since she is in this province of poorness, Phoenix is non

able to bask life? s luxuries as others do and must do make with what she can.

As she begins her journey, it becomes clear that she lacks the money to pay for

transit to and from town ; hence, she starts down her way transporting a

? thin, little cane made from an umbrella? ( 132 ) . Although Welty ne’er truly

emphasizes what this is used for the reader can presume that she uses it because

she does non hold the money to purchase the existent cane needed to assist her walk

decently. Another struggle covering with poorness arouses when she feels it

necessary to steal from a huntsman she encounters in the forests. While the huntsman

walks away her underhand? fingers slid down and along the land under the piece

of money with grace and attention they would hold in raising an egg from under a

puting biddy? ( 134 ) . Here Welty shows that Phoenix must make what she has to in

order to last. Even though it may non look right, her poorness forces her to

act in a manner that she merely knows best. For case, when people have a barrier

dividing them between something they want, they are traveling to make what they can

to accomplish their end no affair what stands in their manner. In this instance Phoenix

is a hapless adult female and the money catches her oculus. Acting on her inherent aptitude, she takes

what is non hers and hopes that she can acquire off with it. However, because of

her doggedness and finding to better the wellness of her grandson, Phoenix

journeys into town to have charity that the physician? s office provides her.

This? comforting medical specialty? they give her is the ground why she makes this trip

in the first topographic point ( 136 ) . However, she is looked upon as a charity instance since

she has no money to pay for the medicine he needs and is given the medical specialty

for free. All of these illustrations that Welty has described in? A Worn Path?

allow her narrative to develop by doing readers think about what she writes.

Poverty is an of import issue in today? s society and it makes one think of all

the lucks they have. In this sense, Welty besides makes one fright poorness by the

manner she addresses it. The images allow one to experience Phoenix? s hurting that comes

along with poorness. Joyce Carol Oates backs up this statement by adding that by

? training her [ Welty? s ] vision in order to derive deeper incursion into

the dark and lovely worlds of the alone human spirit and determining her fiction

so that each narrative should be something achieved & # 8230 ; ? ( 362 ) . Oates merely agencies

that Welty goes beyond normal worlds in order to catch the reader? s

attending. Through poorness, Welty takes a worldwide job and stretches it to

a degree in which the individual reading her narrative feels saddened by the power she

shows. To be old, hapless, and a alternate female parent is a difficult occupation, and Welty does

a fantastic occupation of portraying this through the implicit in job of poorness.

Another overmastering component in? A Worn Path? is Phoenix? s age. Welty

writes that she has? countless ramification furrows? which illustrates that

she has many old ages behind her ( 132 ) . It is here that Welty begins painting a

portrayal in which the reader can visualize scenes from her narrative. Because of her

old age, Phoenix lets her pess do the walking while her head runs free and wild.

This is where her age seems as though it is a changeless job. As seen in the

films or in existent life, old people frequently have a job with maintaining all of

their ideas directly. Not merely is it unsafe, but it besides adds to the flair

of Welty? s narrative. Now the odds have gone up against this hapless, old adult female.

Welty carries on with this image of an old adult female going a way as if she were

sleep walking. But as she approaches the physician? s office? her pess knew to

halt, ? and she appeared to hold no remembrance as to where she is traveling or

what she is making at that place ( 135 ) . As she enters the office she stares off into

infinite and? for [ gets ] why [ she ] made [ her ] long trip? ( 136 ) . It seems that she

has come all of this manner and can non retrieve a thing, except the reveries she

floated in and out of on her manner at that place. However, one thing does stand out: the

gold sheepskin seal in the physician? s office ( 135 ) . Here Welty allows Phoenix, an

old adult female, to remember the one thing that symbolizes someth

ing to her, a triumph.

Phoenix may non remember why she is at that place, but that certain document lets her

cognize that she is where she needs to be. It besides stands for a award, her

grandson? s medical specialty. A good friend of Welty? s adds that? there are

half-states, mixtures of dream and world, or rapid displacements between the two

universes? which are? fact and phantasy? ( Vande Kieft 135 ) . Ruth Vande Kieft

besides explains that? A Worn Path? is non the lone narrative in which Welty? s

characters drift between dream and fantasy life ( 82-92 ) . The odds against

Phoenix are decidedly taking their toll upon her. On an earlier page, 133, the

writer describes one of her motions associating to a babe. Is Welty seeking to

imply that Phoenix displays features of a immature kid, non merely in action

but in ideas as good? Some say that when person becomes old, they start to

revert back physically every bit good as mentally. As Welty shows the effects of old

age, it is at this clip that the struggles become really evident. This peculiar

struggle is with herself. She is old and can non halt the happenings that take

topographic point to her organic structure and head as she grows older. Another struggle that contributes

to the secret plan is Phoenix? s journey through the forests. An obvious factor is the

trip to town. Since Phoenix lives out in the state, she must walk a far

distance to meet any sort of civilisation. The rubric? A Worn Path?

implies that Phoenix has made this journey many times. Here the reader gets the

feeling that these are her Markss and that this way is worn because of her.

As she walks through the unsafe terrain, Phoenix encounters a shrub which

fails to allow her by: ? Thorns, you making your appointed work. Never want to allow

folks pass, no sir? ( 132 ) . Welty describes this way that Phoenix chooses as a

kind of obstruction class. She must stretch and shrivel her organic structure in order to acquire

through the about unpassable obstructions. Even though the way may be worn, it is

as if something is seeking to keep her dorsum. Maybe it is a manner of stating her

that her grandson may ne’er acquire better and in actuality the medicine she gets

for him may non be working as it seems. Welty insinuates this by the

conversation that takes topographic point between the nurse and Phoenix. The nurse asks

Phoenix if her grandson was any better since her last visit to the physician? s

office for medicine ( 136 ) . Now the reader can reason that the medicine may

ne’er remedy him. However, with her finding and motive her pess maintain on

traveling. Along with the thorny shrubs, a biting wire fencing and a log over a brook

put her in great danger, but Phoenix continues to continue with her journey.

After all of these reverses, she so comes face to face with a white huntsman.

Welty uses this white huntsman as a struggle because it is relevant to the clip

the narrative took topographic point. The reader can presume from looking at the day of the month above the

narrative that this was a clip which racism was a job. Therefore, the huntsman

nags her a piece so pulls his gun easy up to her. Phoenix answers? I seen

plentifulness travel off closer by, in my twenty-four hours & # 8230 ; ? ( 135 ) . What is precisely meant by this?

One possibility may be that Phoenix feels the huntsman caught her larceny.

Phoenix besides gives the feeling that she may hold done this before and gotten

caught. Why would Welty add this in her narrative? It can be assumed that the day of the month

once more has strong significance. Well, the possibilities are eternal. But, it is

clearly seen that these brushs that she faces are non common in mundane

life. What do all of these reverses add to her narrative? They offer the terminal of the

journey to be more brave on Phoenix? s portion and they give the reader a

sense of open-heartedness towards Welty? s character. This journey through the

forests shows Phoenix? s love for her grandson. With all of the adversities on this

journey love conquers all and Ruth Van Kieft provinces: ? There are no important

barriers to the expressive love of old Phoenix, and this is reflected besides in

her sense of acquaintance with nature & # 8230 ; ? ( 29 ) . This acquaintance allows the

reader to experience that Welty? s character has a deep love for nature. In the

narrative, Welty includes many conversations with animate beings during her journey through

the forests. Basically Welty? s character appears comfy with nature and

does non see the journey as a load, as does the reader, but as an escapade.

Not merely does her journey endanger her, but the fact that she is doing this

journey for the love of her grandson adds so much more to her consequence of the

narrative. Furthermore, these incidents indicate that Phoenix adapts to the dangers

that face her, and allows the secret plan to so go clear. Welty catches the

reader? s attending by how existent her short narrative seems. Even though many people

may ne’er see Phoenix? s jobs, the descriptions and images she uses

allows her to make a powerful narrative in which many feel they can associate to in

some manner. Her three major jobs, poorness, old age, and some signifier of a

journey, are all obstructions which all of her readers will one twenty-four hours face as they

travel through their ain waies.

Jacobs, Henry E. and Roberts, Edgar V. Literature: An Introduction to Reading

and Writing. 5th erectile dysfunction. new Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. , 1998: 131-137. Oates,

Joyce C. ? Eudora Welty. ? Contemporary Literary Criticism. 1973 erectile dysfunction. 361.

Vande Kieft, Ruth M. Eudora Welty. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1987.