A Worn Path

What is symbolism? Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas, objects, or qualities. It helps the reader distinguish the literature in a deeper meaning. Short stories, novels, and literature revolve around the use of symbols. Anything from a character to an object can be used as a denotation. You see symbolism in just about everything you read or even see. Directors and Authors use it to create vivid pictures to the audience. For example, in The Color Purple, Purple represents a…

be like without some of the minor characters? You most likely wouldn’t know the main character’s personality as well right? A subordinate character has an important role in the story without being the protagonist. In “The Most Dangerous Game”, “A Worn Path”, and “A Rose for Emily”, all have subordinate characters that contribute to making the story understandable. Richard Connell’s short story, “The Most Dangerous Game”, starts off with the protagonist, Sanger Rainsford, having a conversation…

In many of her short stories, the main characters are socially subjugated individuals who break their traditional society-assigned roles. For example in “A worn path” the main character Phoenix, an old black woman who goes on a long journey to obtain medicine for her grandson. Throughout her quest, she encounters characters that embody racism, for example, she meets a white hunter whom she asks for help in order…

In William Sydney Porter’s (pen name O. Henry) novel The Gift of the Magi, (1906), the young married couple, Jim and Della, the setting takes place during Christmas. The force that makes it difficult for the couple is having one dollar and eighty seven between the two of them and trying to find more money and of buying gifts for each other. The setting takes place during Christmas holiday. Jim and Della both admire what they possess already and want to enhance their worldly possessions (Jim’s…

destruction. Not all heroes are that way however. Some heroes seem to be the opposite of heroic as well such as Bilbo Bagons from “The Hobbit” or Daniel Crawford from “Asylum”. Out of all the heroes one seems to stand out the most. Phoenix Jackson from “A Worn Path” is an elderly woman who travels a far distance alone to get medicine for her grandson. “What makes her a hero?” someone might ask. Phoenix Jackson is a hero because she follows the hero’s quest storyline and much of her personality…

The character Connie in Joyce Carol Oates short story “Where Are Going, Where Have You Been?” has a lot of issues. The problems Connie has with her social life, family, and the people that she talks to come to control her future which anticipates the development of her character, this correlating to her unfortunate death. The Bob Dylan song “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” perfectly describes her situation which was the inspiration for Oates's story. In 'Where Are You Going Where Have You Been'…

Eudora Welty grabs the attention of her readers by making them feel as if they are part of the story. She tells her readers about how a grandmother goes out of her way to help her disabled grandson. As she begins her journey, old Phoenix Jackson overcomes challenges large and small to get medicine for her disabled grandson. While reading along with the story about her challenges the story opens the reader’s eyes and start to feel what the main character is going through. The author shows that…

She continued trudging along the gravel road, the sharp rocks cutting through her thin, worn shoes, whilst the clashing of waves and rustling of trees was heard in the distance. A thick layer of fog clouded the path in front of her as the icy wind blew a few wisps of thin, grey hair around her face. Birds were starting to sing as the sun began to rise above the mountains behind her. Run down houses lined the path every now and then, eerily watching the woman limp along. Grey, mouldy paint was…

Octavia and [the] Phoenix At first glance, the two stories A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and The Sky Is Gray by Ernest J. Gaines and the characters in them may not seem to be so comparable. Phoenix Jackson from A Worn Path and Octavia, mostly called Mama, from The Sky Is Gray, are actually quite similar in character but also different in other ways. They are both strong and compassionate, although Phoenix is more friendly than Mama. Both Phoenix and Mama display strength in their actions and…

“The more you read, the more things you know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go.”-Dr. Seuss. Eudora Welty, an author that lived from 1909-2001, was raised in a closely-knit family that resided in West Virginia. The passage is about Welty’s unique love and passion for reading; however, the librarian, Mrs. Calloway serves as an obstacle to Welty. Welty desperately attempts to quench her thirst for books. Welty possesses an insatiable love for reading and books that is…