The Phoenix has provided us with a striking symbol of rebirth for a very long time. Its characteristics change slightly with each new iteration, but a few things remain more or less consistent such as its beautiful appearance and its ability to consume itself with flame and be reborn in the ashes. When Eudora Welty wrote “A Worn Path” she named her main character Phoenix Jackson, and I’ve discovered several similarities between this character and her namesake. Let’s examine the various similarities and see what conclusions we can draw from them. Phoenix Jackson’s appearance is thoroughly described early in the story. She is an elderly black woman whose colorful appearance is somewhat reminiscent of the mythological Phoenix: She wore a dark
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Both likely sense their imminent deaths approaching. Neither Phoenix Jackson nor the narrator ever say this, but Jackson sees death everywhere, which leads me to believe that it is frequently on her mind. One notable example of Jackson seeing death is when she confused a scarecrow for a ghost: “’Ghost,’ she said sharply, ‘who you be the ghost of? For I have heard of nary death close by.’ . . . ‘You scarecrow,’ she said. Her face lighted. ‘I ought to be shut up for good,’” (p. 24-27). This sense of running out of time leads to another important similarity between Phoenix Jackson and her namesake: they both provide for the next generation. The Phoenix is said to build a nest before igniting itself and producing an egg or a chick from the ash. This self-sacrifice is echoed in Phoenix Jackson’s willingness to endure a long and dangerous journey to town for her grandson: “’Oh, that’s just old Aunt Phoenix,’ she said. ‘She doesn’t come for herself—she has a little grandson. She makes these trips just as regular as clockwork,’” (p. 77). It’s not just any trip, however. We can read a little further to establish that she came to town to obtain her grandson’s medicine: “Is your grandson’s throat any better since the last time you came for the medicine?” (p. 84). Jackson even compares her grandson to a nesting chick when she says he “wear a little patch quilt and peep out holding his mouth open like a little bird,” (p. 94). She clearly shows great affection for her grandson by saying she “could tell him from all the others in creation,” (p. 94). Lastly, her final statement in the story also shows her care for her grandson: “I going to the store and buy my child a little windmill they sells…He going to find it hard to believe there such a thing in the world. I’ll march myself back where he waiting, holding it straight up in this hand,”
Both likely sense their imminent deaths approaching. Neither Phoenix Jackson nor the narrator ever say this, but Jackson sees death everywhere, which leads me to believe that it is frequently on her mind. One notable example of Jackson seeing death is when she confused a scarecrow for a ghost: “’Ghost,’ she said sharply, ‘who you be the ghost of? For I have heard of nary death close by.’ . . . ‘You scarecrow,’ she said. Her face lighted. ‘I ought to be shut up for good,’” (p. 24-27). This sense of running out of time leads to another important similarity between Phoenix Jackson and her namesake: they both provide for the next generation. The Phoenix is said to build a nest before igniting itself and producing an egg or a chick from the ash. This self-sacrifice is echoed in Phoenix Jackson’s willingness to endure a long and dangerous journey to town for her grandson: “’Oh, that’s just old Aunt Phoenix,’ she said. ‘She doesn’t come for herself—she has a little grandson. She makes these trips just as regular as clockwork,’” (p. 77). It’s not just any trip, however. We can read a little further to establish that she came to town to obtain her grandson’s medicine: “Is your grandson’s throat any better since the last time you came for the medicine?” (p. 84). Jackson even compares her grandson to a nesting chick when she says he “wear a little patch quilt and peep out holding his mouth open like a little bird,” (p. 94). She clearly shows great affection for her grandson by saying she “could tell him from all the others in creation,” (p. 94). Lastly, her final statement in the story also shows her care for her grandson: “I going to the store and buy my child a little windmill they sells…He going to find it hard to believe there such a thing in the world. I’ll march myself back where he waiting, holding it straight up in this hand,”