Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay Research

Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay, Research Paper

In .A Worn Path. Eudora Welty.s plot is not all that clear in the

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

all of the overwhelming forces against her. In this short story a black elderly

woman, Phoenix Jackson, must overcome the odds against her as she valiantly

travels through many obstacles in order to contribute to the wellness of her

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

point that all of Welty.s readers. hearts open up to this poor, elderly

woman as she makes an attempt to carry on her love for her grandson by taking a

long journey down a familiar path in order to get medication that seems to help

ease his sickness pains. However, there are many forces against Phoenix that

Welty includes in her story in order to make Phoenix.s adventure end in a

victory. Poverty, old age, and her journey through the woods are all of the odds

which Phoenix must overcome. Poverty is a major hardship that most of us will

never have to face, but in Phoenix.s case, poverty is present everyday in her

and her grandson.s life. Since she is in this state of poverty, Phoenix is not

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

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

transportation to and from town; therefore, she starts down her path carrying a

.thin, small cane made from an umbrella. (132). Although Welty never really

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

she does not have the money to buy the actual cane needed to help her walk

properly. Another conflict dealing with poverty arouses when she feels it

necessary to steal from a hunter she encounters in the woods. While the hunter

walks away her sneaky .fingers slid down and along the ground under the piece

of money with grace and care they would have in lifting an egg from under a

setting hen. (134). Here Welty shows that Phoenix must do what she has to in

order to survive. Even though it may not appear right, her poverty forces her to

act in a way that she only knows best. For instance, when people have a barrier

separating them between something they want, they are going to do what they can

to achieve their goal no matter what stands in their way. In this case Phoenix

is a poor woman and the money catches her eye. Acting on her instinct, she takes

what is not hers and hopes that she can get away with it. However, because of

her perseverance and determination to better the health of her grandson, Phoenix

journeys into town to receive charity that the doctor.s office provides her.

This .soothing medicine. they give her is the reason why she makes this trip

in the first place (136). However, she is looked upon as a charity case since

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

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

allow her story to develop by making readers think about what she writes.

Poverty is an important issue in today.s society and it makes one think of all

the fortunes they have. In this sense, Welty also makes one fear poverty by the

way she addresses it. The images allow one to feel Phoenix.s pain that comes

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

.disciplining her [Welty.s] vision in order to gain deeper penetration into

the dark and lovely realities of the lonely human spirit and shaping her fiction

so that each story should be something achieved…. (362). Oates simply means

that Welty goes beyond normal realities in order to grab the reader.s

attention. Through poverty, Welty takes a worldwide problem and stretches it to

a level in which the person reading her story feels saddened by the power she

displays. To be old, poor, and a surrogate mother is a hard job, and Welty does

a wonderful job of portraying this through the underlying problem of poverty.

Another overpowering element in .A Worn Path. is Phoenix.s age. Welty

writes that she has .numberless branching wrinkles. which illustrates that

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

portrait in which the reader can envision scenes from her story. Because of her

old age, Phoenix lets her feet do the walking while her mind runs free and wild.

This is where her age seems as though it is a constant problem. As seen in the

movies or in real life, old people often have a problem with keeping all of

their thoughts straight. Not only is it dangerous, but it also adds to the flare

of Welty.s story. Now the odds have gone up against this poor, old woman.

Welty carries on with this image of an old woman traveling a path as if she were

sleep walking. But as she approaches the doctor.s office . her feet knew to

stop,.

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