“Family means, no one gets left behind or forgotten” (Stiers). “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is one of the short stories whose theme is familial love. The story is about an old and small African-American woman named Phoenix Jackson from the Old Natchez Trace, who was occasionally on a journey to town to pick up a specific medicine for her grandson who has swallowed lye. During her trip, she encounters various obstacles that would hinder her from her goal. In the end, she succeeds and brings home the medicine. In “A Worn Path,” Phoenix is characterized as a maternal grandmother because she was determined, religious and optimistic in facing the challenges that came her way.
To begin, Phoenix is characterized as a determined person due to the fact that she conquers not one but multiple tests before she gets to town. Her first obstacle is her age. She is way too old that she does not even remember how old she is, which puts her at a disadvantage in overcoming a man vs. nature situation. The second example is when a bush caught her dress. Phoenix states “Thorns, you doing you appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir” (Welty 10). The third case is when she is crossing the creek. She talks to herself and says “Now comes the trial” (Welty 10). She bravely walks over a log …show more content…
“Despite the difficulty of her trip, she clearly enjoys her adventure. She talks happily to the landscape” (Heller 1). For instance, Phoenix says, “Sleep on, alligators, and blow your bubbles”. Another incident is when she is warning small animals to stay safely out of her way. Phoenix shows that in spite of all the hardships, like going up the hill or crawling through the barbed-wire fence (Welty 15), her grandson became her inspiration to overcome the trials and faces the challenges with a smile in her heart. To conclude, she encounters many trials but, she does not despair. Instead, she always looks at the silver lining of
To begin, Phoenix is characterized as a determined person due to the fact that she conquers not one but multiple tests before she gets to town. Her first obstacle is her age. She is way too old that she does not even remember how old she is, which puts her at a disadvantage in overcoming a man vs. nature situation. The second example is when a bush caught her dress. Phoenix states “Thorns, you doing you appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir” (Welty 10). The third case is when she is crossing the creek. She talks to herself and says “Now comes the trial” (Welty 10). She bravely walks over a log …show more content…
“Despite the difficulty of her trip, she clearly enjoys her adventure. She talks happily to the landscape” (Heller 1). For instance, Phoenix says, “Sleep on, alligators, and blow your bubbles”. Another incident is when she is warning small animals to stay safely out of her way. Phoenix shows that in spite of all the hardships, like going up the hill or crawling through the barbed-wire fence (Welty 15), her grandson became her inspiration to overcome the trials and faces the challenges with a smile in her heart. To conclude, she encounters many trials but, she does not despair. Instead, she always looks at the silver lining of