In "A Worn Path" Eudora Welty's plot is not all that clear in the beginning of her
short story, but progresses as her character carries on against all of the overwhelming
forces against her. In this short story a black elderly woman, Phoenix Jackson, must
overcome the odds against her as she valiantly travels through many obstacles in order to
contribute to the wellness of her grandson, for whom she is making this trip down "a
worn path." It is at this point that all of Welty's readers' hearts open up to this poor,
elderly woman as she makes an attempt to carry on her love for her grandson by taking a
long journey down a familiar path in order to get medication that seems to help ease his
sickness pains. However, there are many forces against Phoenix that Welty includes in
her story in order to make Phoenix's adventure end in a victory. Poverty, old age, and
her journey through the woods are all of the odds which Phoenix must overcome.
Poverty is a major hardship that most of us will never have to face, but in
Phoenix's case, poverty is present everyday in her and her grandson's life. Since she is in
this state of poverty, Phoenix is not able to enjoy life's luxuries as others do and must
make do with what she can. As she begins her journey, it becomes clear that she lacks
the money to pay for transportation to and from town; therefore, she starts down her path
carrying a "thin, small cane made from an umbrella" (132). Although Welty never really
emphasizes what this is used for the reader can assume that she uses it because she does
not have the money to buy the actual cane needed to help her walk properly. Another
conflict dealing with poverty arouses when she feels it necessary to steal from a hunter
she encounters in the woods. While the hunter walks away her sneaky "fingers slid
down and along the ground u...