A Worn Path - Essay Example

A Worn Path – Literary Analysis “A Worn Path”, is a heart wrenching story, written by Eudora Welty. Thestory deals with expressing an unbound love of a grandmother towards her grandchild who is hanging on to the most indiscernible line of life and death. Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist of the story, is described as “an old Negro woman” (Welty 1941) who is striving through all the hardships to get the medical drugs required to save her dying grandson. The hardships are categorically explained and a very lenient and concise description of her travels is given by Welty. Welty portrays the treatment meted out to the old woman in an eloquent manner, such that, the real life scenarios and the hardships faced by people due to factors like race, sex, religion and color can be clearly related with the story. The beginning of the story is so wavering that one tends to feel that there is no goal in the story, but at the end of both the story and the journey of Phoenix, one gets to understand the ultimate goal that Welty tried to present. Hardship, racism, solitude and indomitable love towards her grandson build the theme of the story, running their roots till the last part of it. Before progressing towards analyzing the literary aspects of the story being told, it is well worth to mention how well Welty has taken efforts to express the hardships faced by the woman in terms of her physical abilities. "Her eyes were blue with age," and "She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her" (Welty 1941) clearly express about her being blind and having to take every step with an umbrella stick. That the protagonist is very old with almost a complete lack of physical strength is expressed by the author through the words, “Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles”. There are frequent use of metaphors and similes used throughout the narration, an example of which is “pendulum in a grandfather clock” (Welty 1941) – words used by Welty to express the old age of the protagonist. In explaining her physical strength, Welty indirectly tells to the reader that the protagonist’s mental strength and determination combined with her love towards saving her grandson has literally nullified the problems that she could face on these aspects of hers. (Dan 1973) The plot begins on a chill morning, with the winter reaching its peak in the month of December. As Phoenix begins her walk, she expresses her feelings about the wild animals that she could meet in her journey. She indicates to those animals that she has a long road ahead to travel. Although the author expresses it as a direct interpretation towards the animals, indirectly, it is also to indicate the readers that she is suffering from senility. Another example shown by the author to instill this point in reader’s mind is when she sees a scarecrow and gets afraid thinking it to be a ghost. To add more credibility to this point, the author also doesn’t forget to mention that this is a path that Phoenix used to travel frequently in past. It is important to understand the abundant amount of information that author is trying to deliver through this single scenario. At first, she tells about her physical hardships, then about the hallucinations, her long journey and most of all, her determination to be in focus towards the goal irrespective of the disabilities. Welty has carved out exquisitely the characters of the supporting cast of the story. Be it the grandson, the hunter and the nurse, their characters are portrayed in a way very similar to how old age people are treated in day to day life. The use of figures of speech like “mouth open like a littlebird” (Welty 1941), to explain the condition of her grandson, vitalizes the readers and brings out a sense of joy in them. Once Phoenix crosses the hills, she stumbles on a hunter’s dog and meets with the hunter. Despite the hunter’s helping hand, the author brings out the anti-African-American nature in him when he spits at the old woman these words, “old colored people” (Welty 1941). The hunter’s behavior is so well described that it brings out how people treat old people only based on their age without considering that they too are equal individuals, just like them. As she progresses through the woods, the author brings out her courage when Phoenix elucidates these words, "I wasn't as old as I thought” (Welty 1941). The important characteristic of the entire narration is that, Welty manages to keep a positive intent running right from the beginning till the end. The lines mentioned above are examples of such narration (Saunders 2002). As she finally reaches the place of the nurse, she is treated with some harsh behavior from the nurse. This is delicately expressed when the nurse utters, “Tell us quickly about your grandson, and get it over” (Welty 1941). The author strongly expresses the opinion that even people whose primary focus is to attend to such ‘weakened’ people, treat them as if they are meaningless. In addition, the racial aspects of the old woman- being African, adds to the fume, depriving even the basic rights of attending to her properly. The entire struggle that Phoenix had taken to get a medicine for her grandson is completely thrown to dust by the nurse’s behavior and treatment. Irrespective of which, once again, the author succeeds in displaying the old woman’s determination towards saving her grandson as she slowly returns back taking the medicine. Welty’s use of language in putting her thoughts to words and the use of symbolism to treat the dark aspects of the society are well received and got rave reviews from several critics. Welty’s treatment of themes like racism, responsibility, duty, guilt etc. needs to be given special recognition. By giving the protagonist the name, “Phoenix Jackson”, Welty symbolizes her attitude through the Phoenix bird which lives for many years and then resurrects itself time and again – similar to how the old woman battles in her life. According to Eunice Glenn, Welty is a truthful writer and says, “making everyday life appear as it often does, without the use of a magnifying glass” (Novel guide, 2011). On the other hand, Neil, D. Isaccs, a famous critic is very critical about “A Worn Path”, saying, “The story is suggestive of a religious pilgrimage, while the conclusion implies that the return trip will be like the journey of the Magi” (Neil Isaccs, pp. 75-81). So, Welty’s story has received reviews in contrasting aspects, but it has well managed to succeed among all the readers in conveying its message. To sum it up, it is a simple story with a strong message and with its heart kept at the right place. If it is looked in the aspect that the story is only just about getting the medicine, then it is highly underestimated. But, when its true meaning is interpreted properly, it goes on to underline the concepts that are most often told in great epics and literatures. The author has successfully managed to convey that true love and hard work will always lead to triumph. Works Cited Novel Guide. “Eudora Welty”. Novelguide.com. http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/ewb_16/ewb_16_06805.html. N.d. Web. Accessed 16 Feb. 2011 Neil, Isaacs. “Life for Phoenix", Sewanee Review, Vol. LXXI, No. 1, 1963, pp. 75-81 Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path”. The Atlantic Monthly. Web. 1941. http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/41feb/wornpath.htm . Accessed 16 Feb. 2011. Saunders, James. "A Worn Path": The Eternal Quest of Welty's Phoenix Jackson. The Souther Literary journal. Vol. 25, No. 1, 2002, pp. 62-73. Dan Donlan, '"A Worn Path': Immortality of Stereotype,", English Journal, Vol 62, No. 4, 1973, pp. 549?50. Read More