Essay on A Worn Path
"A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty is difficult to understand at first because it explores the mind of Phoenix, the elderly main character of the story. The "worn path" that Phoenix travels is from her home to town so she can pick up some medicine for her grandson. She has made this trip so much that she can walk it without even looking where she's going, it's almost as if her feet automatically know where to go. She is so used to the trip that she can walk it without thinking about which way to go, which gives her mind plenty of time to wander freely. This is the part that is confusing because it is unclear as to what she is doing or where she is going. The story later reveals what she is doing and why, but the lack of knowledge that the reader has about Phoenix lets he/she formulate an opinion about her and her thoughts. As Phoenix is traveling through the woods, her journey has a biblical touch to it. When she says, "Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals...Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don't let none of those come running in my direction. I got a long way" (319), I was reminded of a book I read where a boy with special powers from God was not harmed by vicious animals that were
I'm an old woman without an education" (326). Phoenix was knocked into a ditch by a dog, and instead of showing concern for her well-being and helping her up, he laughs at her and calls her Granny. I agree with her in that I believe we should accept people for who they are, but it is hard to change the stereotypes we have against those people. We have those stereotypes for a reason, and I don't think this story is powerful enough to change them, although it may make one reconsider those thoughts and hopefully send them in a positive direction. At this point in the story, the reader should have a pretty detailed picture of who Phoenix is, not from what the story says but from his/her views based on what they believe an old black slave would be like. The first one she runs into was a white man. When Phoenix compared walking up the hill to having chains on her feet, it was probably because she had to wear them at one point in her life. Another implication that can be made about Phoenix is that she may have once been a slave. This made me think that Phoenix was religious, and although she doesn't actually ask God for help while walking through the woods, it can be implied that she is religious in some way by how she addresses the animals. If someone was going to describe a feeling, he/she would compare it to a similar feeling from the past. I imagined Phoenix walking through the forest with all the animals getting out of her way just like they did with the boy. When Abigail reaches the town, she interacts with several different people. The image I made of Phoenix was almost exactly like that of 108-year old Abigail. This helps the reader paint a better picture of who Phoenix is, and I pictured a stereotypical of an old slave woman who reads the Bible every day and has seen more things than most people ever will.
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Acceptance Essays
