What is the purpose of a worn path?

In its depiction of the journey of an impoverished black woman in Mississippi, “A Worn Path” explores the realities of race and class in the South at a time when slavery was still within living memory. The depiction of race in the story is not simplistic.

What does Phoenix mean?

A phoenix symbolizes birth, death, and rebirth, as well as eternity, strength, and renewal. The whole idea that this mythical bird is reborn from the ashes of the flames of death signifies a journey through fire or adversity.

What is the plot of a worn path?

“A Worn Path” is a short story by Eudora Welty. It was published in Atlantic Monthly magazine in 1941. The story describes a journey by an elderly black woman named Phoenix Jackson, who must walk a long way into Natchez from her home in rural Mississippi to retrieve medicine for her grandson.

What is the rising action of a worn path?

Rising Action She gets her dress stuck in prickers and struggles to free herself. She sees apparitions that aren’t even there as she struggles step by step to get into town. She worries about animals she might encounter in her path and the hot sun beating upon her.

What does a path symbolize?

The word path also has a connotation of one’s course through life as in the expression that he is following the “straight and narrow path.” It also has religious symbolism and has been used in terms such as he is “on the path to enlightenment.” Trails have a symbolism attached to the settlement of the west.

What is the tone of a worn path?

What is the tone of “A Worn Path?” The tone expresses admiration towards Phoenix, and her persistence in the name of family. The tone also expresses sympathy towards Phoenix’s pain and suffering she experiences internally because of her lack of memory as well as the external obstacles she faces.

Who is the antagonist in a worn path?

These antagonist forces are: nature, poverty and old age. Nature puts many obstacles in Phoenix’s way as she walks to the town. Not long after she begins her journey, her path goes up a hill, considering she is old, this makes her journey a little harder.

Is Phoenix grandson dead?

Phoenix’s belief that he is still alive could be the result of old age and losing her memory, making it hard to remember and easier to move on with life and feel she has a purpose. In conclusion, Eudora Welty hides clues throughout the story to inform you that Phoenix Jackson’s grandson is unfortunately dead.

Why is Phoenix an appropriate name for the main character?

“A Worn Path,” one of her best-known stories, depicts an elderly African-American woman walking into town to get her grandson’s medicine. The woman’s name is Phoenix, alluding to the mythological bird said to rise from its own ashes.

What are the symbols in a worn path?

Symbol: Phoenix The name of the story’s protagonist references the mythological bird that was reborn from its ashes. From the crucible of fire, the phoenix was reborn to fly again, thus the character of Phoenix becomes a symbol of the circular nature of time and the spirit of renewal and rebirth.

What physical problems does Phoenix seem to have?

There are four problems Phoenix faces: her age, her health, her grandson’s health, her state of poverty. “Her eyes were blue with age. Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless, branching wrinkles.” Normally, in society of today there are benefits for the elderly and those of the golden age.

What does Natchez represent in a worn path?

Natchez Trace In addition to being a hunting and trading route, the Trace was an avenue for the slave trade, providing a path to channel slaves from other parts of the country to the Forks in the Road slave market.

What is the point of view in a worn path?

1 Answer. The point of view in ‘A Worn Path’ can be described as “third-person, limited, objective”. The effect of “limited” narration is to give a strong impression of what it is like to see things from the perspective of the protagonist.

Why is Phoenix’s grandson sick?

The old lady Phoenix Jackson’s purpose of her trip to the town was to get some medicine for her grandson who is suffering from throat pain. Her grandson had swallowed lye and his throat stops working.

What do the birds symbolize in a worn path?

They are often symbols for death, decay, and destruction, though they can sometimes also be used to symbolize regeneration. Death always hangs in the background of “A Worn Path.” Phoenix’s grandson is very ill, and Phoenix herself is so old that death may come for her soon as well.