A Worn Path Reflective Essay

A Worn Path Reflective Essay

A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty, is the story of an elderly Negro woman by the name of Phoenix Jackson. It is a short story of Jackson's journey from her home to Natchez to get medicine for her sick grandson. Her journey almost seems unrealistic because she is an old, fragile woman. In the short story, Welty portrays Phoenix as an old woman who has a great amount of determination, perseverance, and a great ability to overcome fear.

In the story, Phoenix's ability to overcome fear lets the reader know a lot about her character. Phoenix faced obstacles such as the forest that she had to travel through and also her old age was a strong reflection of her character. She did not have good visual modality from the old age, but great complex and critical thinking abilities. She remembered where to go because she has made the journey so many times. Right before Phoenix crossed the creek on the log, she said to herself, "Now comes the trial." The quote blatantly points out her ability to overcome fear. To make that obstacle even harder, she closed her eyes while she was crossing the creek and did it purely on instinct. Another example of her fearlessness was when the hunter was pointing the gun at her. "Doesn't the gun scare you?" asked the hunter. "No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done," she replied. To Phoenix, fear was similar to a sickness. If you did not overcome it, it would continue to eat away at you. Her ability to overcome fear helped her constantly throughout the story.

The destination in this story was the town Natchez where Phoenix got medicine and a toy for her sick grandson. She had no money when she started trip, but in the middle of her journey she met a hunter and he dropped a nickel that she stole from him. She went against her religion to get something for her grandson. We know she would not normally steel because of her religion because in the story she says, "God watching me the whole time. Come to stealing." This shows how Phoenix is selfless. At her old age she had the determination to travel so far and get the medicine for her loved one. This is a difficult task for her, but she does it nevertheless. The author makes Phoenix very altruistic in this story. She only cares for others and gave up her Christmas Eve to care and aid her grandson. She had the incredible cognition to conclude her decision on traveling to Natchez and getting the medicine for her sick grandson. The author does a great job on showing her determination in the story.

Another way the author portrays Phoenix in the story is her great ability to persevere through what seems to be anything. She had no problem walking through the forest during the winter with thorn bushes, animals, and bright light. Those are just obstacles that set Phoenix back but she had no problem persevering

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