A_Worn_Path

A Worn Path In Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” we quickly learn love can give us strength to overcome adversity. The author chooses to use the character of the story as well as the symbols to develop the theme of the story. The short story is a tale about an elderly woman’s journey into town, which the audience finds out in the end to purchase medicine for her sick grandson. The elderly woman, Phoenix Jackson is a poor fragile African American woman who suffers from hallucinations and poverty. Phoenix is very determined to complete her journey, though many obstacles exist. The reason for her journey, to receive medicine for her sick grandson, has a chronic throat condition caused by drinking lye. Despite her age and fragility, Phoenix is very stubborn which gives her the ability to overcome nearly impossible odds, through her determination, which is fueled by the love for her grandson. Through her love for her grandson, she is devoted to complete her journey. At first the audience is unsure of whether Phoenix will complete her journey, talking to herself, stopping to rest, hallucinating but later the reader discovers that she is in fact quite phoenix, grandson, journey, story, love, obstacles, sick, represents, fragile, energy, complete, woman, windmill, very, town, through, path, paper, medicine, first, even, elderly, character, audience, age, throughout, strength, short, purchase, physical, phoenix’s, overcome, never, name, moving, kept, herself, great, gives, finds, failing, every, end, bird, becomes, young, yet, wrinkles, worn, woman’s