Eudora Welty's A Worn Path

Slow, weak, inactive and relaxed - Those are the words that normally describe old people; but Phoenix Jackson in the short story “A Worn Path” by the author Eudora Welty shows that old people are not as weak as what people normally think throughout her long journey. Phoenix Jackson is an old African American woman who goes through a trip to a hospital to get a medicine for her sick grandson. On the outside, she is an ordinary old woman who wears a red rag and a cane made out of an umbrella. 

However, Phoenix contradicts the normal image of an old woman as the color of the red rag reflects her characteristics: active, strong, restless, and full of responsibility. As she values her responsibility for her grandson the most, she gets great patience and strength to continue the journey. A result, she achieves her goal, which is to get a cure for her ill grandson. Phoenix’s decision of not giving up on her long adventure, even at the face of obstacles, shows how wisely she endures for her goal and undauntedly overcomes the obstacles.

Phoenix’s reaction to the obstacles of her journey shows her inner strength as she overcomes each obstruction to her goal. Her first obstruction is “the worn path” itself because she is too old to climb a hill and cross a river. However, her strong desire to complete her duty for grandson keeps her continuing the journey and she doesn’t even think of giving up. The second obstacle appears when she meets a racist white hunter.