A Worn Path by Eudora Welty - Essay Example

A WORN PATH THROUGH AND THROUGH. “A Worn path”, by Eudora Welty, first published in 1941, contains in itself a vast hoard of ideas and symbols for readers to infer. For this reason literary analysts still find the text as appealing today as it was seventy years ago. The characters and the events in this beautiful piece of literature have been analyzed time and again, yet the ambiguity of the text encourages the reader’s mind to draw meanings of his own. Eudora Welty, known for her beautiful use of symbolism and similes, and the emphasis of the writers of her time on social issues that hold greater meaning when seen from the historical perspective, encourage the reader to draw connections between the social dynamics of the era, especially to the clearly stated racism, and historical character associated with both the blacks and Southern America. The short story, seemingly, is about a rather difficult journey made by an elderly black woman, through landscapes hazardous for a women with her fragility, encountering many obstacles in her path to the destination; a doctor’s office in the town of Natchez Mississippi. The occurrences in this journey however hint at the larger journey of her life, that she has made so far and is still to make. Having endured all the atrocities of the whites during the slave years, having seen the Civil war and so much more, everything around her is full of symbolism. She first appears as a stereotype of an old black woman, with her typical long dress, ‘superstitions’ and the habit of talking to herself (Bethea) but as we move along with her we recognize in her sense of dignity, her pride, her dreams and her devotion and purpose, a woman with all the human complexity of one belonging to any race, but with a much more strengthened outlook to life and the obstacles it brings upon humans. With the historical backdrop of oppression and the social conditions of that time when the story was written, the writer opens our eyes to the irony, racism and indifference that were an everyday event to the colored races of America, not so long ago. In the face of this adversity and helplessness however, we also see a resolve, a struggle for resurrection and the ever continuing cycle of life despite utter disparity, in the form of the main character Pheonix Jackson. The backdrop of the story is the southern town of Natchez, with its “grandiose architectural gems” (Bethea) situated at the end of the Natchez Trace. This trace and the town itself both hold historic meaning for America and the African-American slaves brought into the land and distributed through these routes. The economic surge of the South in the early years of American history rested on the muscle power of the imported African slaves, and being central in the expansion of the Cotton Empire in the South, cities like Natchez made economies based on such slave trade with rest of the country, making the south the richest part of America “…where by 1850 two-thirds of the nations millionaires lived…” (Bethea) Thus here was the place slavery was most dominant and consequently the contrast between black and white most obvious. The social dynamics even after the end of slavery reflected a bleak picture to the blacks who were now oppressed by poverty and discrimination of all sorts if not slavery. Phoenix Jackson is presented in the words of Dean Bethea: “…as an individual trapped within the very real boundaries of a historically defined, deeply racist society.” Her character, calculating from her age, has lived through all the developing stages of the status of blacks, but she had yet to see and probably dreamt of the day when children from her background, like her grandson, would have the same status, hold equal education and other opportunities as the white children (Sykes). It is ironic that, at the point in the story when Phoenix walks into the town which she and her fellow African-Americans help build more than any of the white population living there, the celebrations, the wealth and the excesses accompanied with the Christmas festivities all seemed indifferent to her excluded herself and her kind. (Bethea) The fact that she had seen it all had given her a strength and courage that usually leaves people in the final stages of their life. On numerous occasions throughout her expedition she exhibited this strength, whether it was in the form of command over the wild creatures of the wood, the perseverance climbing uphill, the patience detangling herself from the thorns, the courage crossing the log over the creek or the resistance from hopelessness even after falling down into the ditch. When the white huntsman who had helped her out of the ditch pointed a gun at her to see if she would despair, she stood calm and dignified, and exclaimed she had seen many die for no crime, so she wasn’t afraid. Many critics agree to the point that the name Phoenix itself is symbolic, of the bird that resurrects itself every 500 years from its own ashes. (Bethea) Another symbolism that analysts have drawn from the context around her is that of the mistletoe, under which she rests after crossing the creek, defining the overcoming of all hurdles as well as encompassing the selfless love and compassion for her grandson. (Piwinski) However it is clear from her increasing loss of senses and easily delirious mind that her strength is slowly failing her and it won’t be long when such a treacherous journey as she takes on regularly, might bring an end to her. The only thing that scares her though, throughout the course of events is when she forgets the purpose of her trip, forgets about her grandson and fails to answer the attendant or nurse, later exclaiming: "I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time" as if reassuring herself. The symbols in the story are incorporated into all three elements that make up a story; the context i.e. time and place, the characters and the events. The course of events that take Phoenix to the town and her interactions with the white people on the way and at the doctor’s office, paint the two dimensions of a picture the meeting point of which is the old women herself. The part of the journey through the woods is apparently a fight against the obstacles of nature, but symbolically they represent the past which she has endured. Even when she talks to herself she uses references like “seem like there is chains about my feet” to identify her troubles of present with those of old times. Like the plight of the blacks after the Second World War, she gets herself caught in thorns “never want to let folks past”, as the blacks having attained freedom from slavery got oppressed by bills demanding segregation of blacks and whites in public spaces and narrowing their economic opportunities down to none. The second part of the journey is based on her encounters with the people of the present society, reflecting the racism and belittlement the blacks and particularly an old nigger like herself faces. First the huntsman, who although helping her out, mocks her all the same, laughing and pointing a gun at her out of amusement. The word “Granny” or “Grandma”, that is repeated to her throughout the day signifies the fact that the white people that did come into contact with her saw her as no more than that, an old black nigger. Her struggles with life, her journey and her purpose were of no concern to them unless they were obliged by some responsibility which they grudgingly fulfilled. Similarly her encounter with the lady who tied up her laces in the street was an obligation fulfilled unsympathetically. The nurse in the doctor’s office, although knowing of her troubles, her long journey her sick grandson who would not improve, remained uncompassionate making a charity without any of the emotions or sincerity that must go with it. These sum up to illustrate the manner of the whites after the Civil War (Sykes). Dean Bethea reflects on another possible interpretation of the events that take place, especially in the context of the Christmas season affirms that the setting does nothing to reflect the ‘spiritual rebirth’ that the holiday symbolizes. All lessons of love and compassion regardless of skin color, or any other discrimination seemed to have been lost to the people she ran into. Their charity was an duty, their celebration devoid of any feeling, unable to see beyond skin color none of them feel anything for Phoenix, an old women in the cold, with hardly enough clothing to keep her warm, embarking on a journey that could well take her life someday. The only compassion and sensitivity we see throughout the story is that of the old woman towards her grandson, the same love that keeps her intent on continuing her journey, making it frequently “just as regular as clockwork” as the nurse tells us, despite her own growing weakness and loss of faculties. “We is the only two left in the world” apparently describes their having no one but themselves, but is interpreted as the only two characters that care about each other by Bethea. The symbolism incorporated in the short story bundles up a long and oppressive history, a struggling present and probably a future full of disparity of Phoenix and her grandson. The themes point out the heartlessness of society, the discrimination on the basis of color which Christianity had long ago called off and the superficial celebration of religious events that symbolize so much more. The irony that is implanted into the history and the society of the place renders it a deeper meaning and the symbolization of the phoenix who resurrects itself even out of ashes dresses the character in immortality. Works Cited Bethea, Dean. "Phoenix Has No Coat: Historicity, Eschatology, and Sind of Omission in Eudora Weltys "A Worn Patt"." International Fiction Review (2001): 32. Article. Piwinski, David J. "Mistletoe in Eudora Weltys "A Worn Path"." ANQ (2003): 40. Article. Sykes, Dennis J. "Weltys "A Worn Path"." The Explicator (1998): 151. article. Read More