Eudora Welty was born to a "Yankee" father and a mother on April 13, 1909 in Jackson, Mississippi. At the age of 27, she started her writing career and published many short stories. One of her most well-known short stories is "A Worn Path," which she wrote in 1940. Many factors of Eudora's life on the Natchez influenced this story, such as the story's setting and her choosing her character's name. .
The setting of "A Worn Path" began in rural southern Mississippi along the Natchez Trail. Eudora included the Natchez Trail in many of her stories during her life in Mississippi. Author Benfey Christopher in "The Local and Unlocal Art of Eudora Welty. A Sense of Place" states that Eudora "likes well-traveled roads." Benfey also quotes Eudora on well-worn paths, ". . . they are suggestive analog of the storyteller's procedures, which are always twice told: to go where everyone has gone before" (Benfey par 16). Those words by Welty show us that she enjoys writing about things that she has witnessed other people going through. .
It is also interesting to point out that Eudora gave Phoenix Jackson the same last name as Eudora's hometown. The Gale Group states that the majority of Eudora's stories take place "within a time spectrum of over a century, on or near the Natchez Trace." They also stated "These stories are mostly about country people, and whatever the setting, Eudora Welty has been accurate in her depiction of social structures that go with place and time" ("Eudora Alice Welty" par. 10). Eudora has studied the vast landscape of Mississippi to the point that she transforms the land's life into her stories. The advantage of being a native of Mississippi has helped Eudora set the setting of "A Worn Path.".
As a person reads "A Worn Path," it can't go un-noticed that Phoenix Jackson is a unique name. According to Benfey, when Eudora was a little girl, she was an avid reader of Dickens and mythology (Benfey par.
A Worn Path Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" is a fantastic journey through an elderly woman's daily struggles. ... At first, the reader almost seems to be able to walk with Phoenix on her path because the description of her surroundings is so well stated. ... This brief description of the plot of "A Worn Path" is minimal in comparison to how interesting the story really was. ...
Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" tells the story of Phoenix Jackson, an elderly black woman living in the early to mid twentieth century. ... The significance of the title of "A Worn Path," however, lies in its complexity and in its many interpretations. ... Within the context of this particular interpretation, the keyword "worn" in "A Worn Path" implies that this path has been traveled many times before by Phoenix. ... Indeed the "path" is "worn" as a result of Phoenix's repeated trips to the town for her grandson's well being, and driven by her love for him, she will most lik...
"A Worn Path" is a story of an old woman whose human spirit is full of devotion, dignity and high drive that helps her overcome tremendous impediments of life in the name of love for her grandson. ... Phoenix Jackson, as a woman who possesses both qualities, teaches us life lessons to hold onto and experience for ourselves, as we journey down our own "worn path". ... In the story "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson, despite the racial injustice which she was forced to endure in her lifetime, lives up to her name by using her inner strength and wisdom throughout her journey to reach ...
Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" begins as a simple story of an old woman walking through the woods to town. ... In "A Worn Path," Phoenix Jackson seems like a silly, old woman. ... In "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, the exposition is found near the end of the story. ...
A Worn Path "A Worn Path" is a short story that was written by Eudora Weltey. This story was about a little old black lady named Phoenix Jackson who lived way back in the piney woods with her grandson. And every time he ran out of his medication, she would walk a long journey to the nearest town...
A Worn Path "A Worn Path" is a short story that was written by Eudora Weltey. This story was about a little old black lady named Phoenix Jackson who lived way back in the piney woods with her grandson. And every time he ran out of his medication, she would walk a long journey to the nearest town...
A Worn Path / The Lottery Both "A Worn Path," by Eudora Welty, and "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, deal with routine and the impact following a routine can have on people. In "A Worn Path", Old Phoenix shows how as you get older, your capability of doing things become limited which leads you to doing things over and over again following a set of routine. ... In " A Worn Path," as Old Phoenix walked through the woods and got to the top of the hill and gave a full, severe look behind her where she had come and said "Up through pines," then "N...
In her short story, "A Worn Path," Eudora Welty uses many different symbols that convey an underlying meaning that death is lurking around every corner and around every bend in the road. Some of these symbols include the title itself, "A Worn Path," the rustling in the bushes, Phoenix Jackson's dress catching in the bush, and the scarecrow and the black dog. ... The first symbol is the title of the story and how it brings Phoenix Jackson to her journey of "A Worn Path." ... The path Phoenix takes is the path of her life. ... Phoenix Jackson walks a path through the long journey of life. ...
