At one point or another in time, everyone will be faced with a difficult obstacle, or a seemingly impossible challenge to overcome. It is at a time like this that one has to stare adversity in the face, and instead of frowning, smile and press on. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”, the main character, Phoenix Jackson, is subject to a tedious, troublesome journey that she has to embark upon every year. The rough journey, alone, is an obstacle for anyone, but as a rather old, black woman, traveling in the midst of the winter, the task is suddenly a lot more straining. However, intent on retrieving medicine for someone she loves, her sick grandson, Phoenix places herself in a situation that could cause her death. Phoenix’s old age, failing eyesight, and recurring hallucinations add on to the already difficult task she is facing; yet, through a determined mind and a persevering body, she is able to accomplish what she set out to do.

Firstly, Welty explicitly states that Phoenix is a very old woman- “Her eyes were blue with age. Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles….but a golden color ran underneath…” This statement means that even though

In addition to Phoenix’s trials and tribulations that come with old age, her eyesight appears to be failing her miserably. To illustrate, “ She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her.” One could assume that she carries the cane and taps the earth in front of her because she is visually impaired. Though not completely blind, Phoenix has to impaired to a certain extent because her cane in used in such a repetitive manner. At one point during the journey, as she attempts to cross a log over a river, she closes her eyes and successfully makes it across. This could be an indication that she really cannot see too well anyway, or that she travels the path so often she has it memorized. In either light, she is rather independent of her vision. Furthermore, she realizes just how impaired she

In closing, Phoenix Jackson is a rather determined old woman set on an almost impossible journey, but because it is for her grandson that she holds so close to heart, it would be unthinkable for her not to attempt it. Though Phoenix is extremely old, visually impaired and a bit senile, she, like the mythological Phoenix bird, continues to reinvent herself when necessary. She is willing to put her life on the line for a child who maybe as near death as she because of his illness. Yet, Phoenix is lik

Some topics in this essay:
Moreover Phoenix, Firstly Welty, Phoenix Jackson, Unyielding Character, Worn Path”, Eudora Welty’s, phoenix jackson, earth front, recurring hallucinations, visually impaired,