Perseverance In Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

An anonymous writer once said, “Is there anything more wonderful than a grandmother’s love for her grandchildren? It is just pure love nothing but pure love". In Eudora Welty’s short story, “A Worn Path”, Phoenix Jackson embodies a loving grandmother that would do anything for her sick grandson. While the difficulty of her unexplained journey her body and her mind never pleads her to stop. Phoenix’s perseverance is demonstrated by the meek fact that she keeps walking. She encounters many difficulties but never gives up. She is willing to go the extra mile for her grandson and that reflects her unconditional love for him. The obstacles that Phoenix overcomes are old age, poverty, and the environment throughout her journey. For starters, Phoenix …show more content…
One of the first lines Phoenix speaks is, “…Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don’t let one of those come running my direction. I got a long way” (1337). This command signifies who is in charge and she is not going to let anything get in her way. Unfortunately, one example is a black dog with a “lolling tongue” (1339) suddenly appears and attacks Phoenix. She tries to stand up to the dog and manages to hit it once. Even though she fails, she accepts her fate. Reaching her hands out for help when no one is there is another sign of delusion, but also a sign of faith. Everything she experiences is a different sign and signal from God and she appreciates his small blessings. She does not stress out but is open-minded about her situation. She relies on God to determine her fate and accepts whatever he brings. Soon after the hunter appears and resembles a kind savior, she quickly learns he is a more complicated figure. Phoenix outwits the white hunter by brilliantly using his arrogance and feelings of racial superiority over African Americans against him. She manages to steal his nickel with extraordinary grace. This nickel later represents so much