"A Worn Path" Analysis Essay

The book talks about an elderly woman called Phoenix Jackson who is making a tireless journey into an urban center looking for medicine for her sick grandchild. During her day trip, she talks audibly to herself in a persuading manner to bear with the challenging journey. That trip seems more difficult even though she has had many before. Since she strongly loves her grandson, she can get the medicine. Unfortunately, the author makes us believe that could be the last journey on the damaged path into town. Symbolism has been used in "A Worn Path" to portray the adversities and obstacles faced by the main character to attain her goal.

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The book intensely uses the natural symbolism of the setting. The author cleverly integrates Phoenix Jackson, a larger than life character, which easily connects with her surroundings and her love for fairy stories. The scenery that surrounds the main character gives us Phoenix's character and the hardships related to her old age and the poverty that cocoons her. Welty described the path as full of pine trees with the ground filled with their dark shadows. Conversely, that darkness is a total opposite of the poor Phoenix but tidy and entirely groomed.

Furthermore, throughout the story, Phoenix is vibrant and dedicated to overcoming the trials she is facing ahead even though she is old. At one point the author reminds us by commenting, "under the red rag her hair came down on her neck in the frailest of ringlets, still black, and with an odor like copper (Welty 222)." The old woman is full of life despite her age in a strenuous trip. Phoenix Jackson is compared to the Phoenix, a mythological bird. She is dressed in vivid colors, and her resilience is highlighted by her evaluation with a bird that rises from the ashes every five hundred years.

Birds in this story are common literature symbols with different meanings depending on the type of bird. Additionally, the symbols similarly connect to common literary themes such as religion or spirituality. Phoenix comes across a dove which generally represents love, peace, and the Holy Spirit. However, that mourning dove gets a bad name because of its song which appeared to be a call of grief. The bird accurately fits Phoenix's journey because her excursion is full of sadness, love, and faith.

Phoenix meets a buzzard as she walks through a withered cotton field and dead trees. Vultures are usually used to represent destruction, death and sometimes regeneration. In this story, death always hangs in the background since Phoenix herself is old and her grandson is gravely ill with both lives seeming likely to end soon. However, Phoenix does not fear it and stands up to it showing that she had high hopes and courage. The buzzard truly fits the religious belief that believers ought to have faith and courage to prosper during tough times.

The author asserts further the theme of religion in her, "little bird" representations of the grandchild and Phoenix. Welty tells us that Phoenix believes that God is watching her through a bird hovering overhead. Phoenix's unconditional love for her grandson is similar to Christ's love for his children in the Christian religion (Roberts 107). Furthermore, there are smaller remarks of birds in the background and accounts as well which possibly mean other religious beliefs in society with different gods.

Conclusion

Although the theme of religion in literature is often complex it is usually centered on sin, questions of existence and the afterlife. This story has lots of trees, and the author even compared Phoenix's wrinkled skin with them. Mythically, just like birds, these trees have different meanings mostly strength, endurance, and wisdom. In "A Worn Path," two categories of trees are told such as deciduous that appear to temporarily dead and evergreen trees that seem to live forever. Both types fit the existence cycle of life and death similar to God's power in humanity's fascination. Concisely, symbolism and the theme of religion marry well in Eudora Welty's story.

Works Cited

Eudora Welty, "A Worn Path," Critical Inquiry 1, no. 1 (Sep. 1974): 222-228. https://doi.org/10.1086/447785Roberts, Wendy. "Unconditional Love in Eudora Welty's" A Worn Path." of Academic Writing: 107.