A Worn Path Group

Question:

hannahmon
hannahmon
Student
High School - 11th Grade

What might Eudora Welty have meant by her statement "Phoenix is alive" when asked whether the grandson in "A Worn Path" were dead?

In answer to a student who wrote to ask her, "Is the grandson really dead?" Welty responded, "My best answer would be: Phoenix is alive." How can the author’s remark be seen as an answer?

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Posted by hannahmon on Sunday December 9, 2007 at 11:13 PM and tagged with a worn path, ambiguous, grandson, phoenix, theme, worn path.

Answers:


  1. sagetrieb Teacher
    Doctorate

    The question the student asked Welty is appropriate because the narrator does not address, at the end of the story, whether or not the child lives; rather, Phoenix receives the coins and heads back to him. Welty’s response pertains to the symbolism carried by  Phoenix’s name and how this, in turn, pertains to a theme of the story.  “Phoenix” refers to the mythological bird that defies mortality by rising from death and living again:  it is immortal. Similarly, Phoenix’s spirit is immortal—she rises above the difficulties of her life, including the racism and the degradation that comes from it. Even if her grandson dies, the point is that the spirit of perseverance and love that she embodies will not disappear; it might be reduced to ashes by this even or that, but it will live again.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/worn-path

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    Posted by sagetrieb on Monday December 10, 2007 at 3:46 AM


  2. rowens Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Eudora Welty, the author, seems to intentionally left whether the grandson is alive or dead ambiguous, meaning that one could interpret the story either way. Some things that lead the reader to think he is dead might be the things the nurse says at the clinic, such as telling her co-worker that the Dr. said to just keep giving her the medicine as long as she comes, which might be a way of making a senile old lady who can't remember or accept that her grandson is dead happy. The nurse also asks her, "Is he dead yet?" This question may imply that the staff at the clinic is waiting for Phoenix to come to grips with the situation and accept the truth. Of course the fact that the grandon drank lye and that the clinic is so far away might indicate that he died before she could get help, and she keeps reliving the her attempt to get medicine.

    Welty's statement simply means that the focus of the story should not be the grandson, but Phoenix. Regardless of the interpretation about his death, Phoenix's love for him never dies. She makes this arduous journey over and over because her love for her grandson is so deep. The focus should be on her and what her repeated attempts say about her.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/worn-path/themes

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    Posted by rowens on Monday December 10, 2007 at 3:48 AM


  3. linda-allen Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    I think what Welty meant by answering "Phoenix is alive" is that the grandson is alive only in her memory. Here are some reasons why:

    • We don't know how old the grandson is or how long Phoenix has been getting medicine for him. The title, however, tells us that she has been walking this path a very long time, so long that she can close her eyes to cross the log on the creek.
    • Another thing we need to consider is Phoenix's age. When she's talking to the woman at the clinic, she tells her that she was too old to go to school "after the Surrender," meaning 1865. She has to be at least in her 80's, so unless he's a great-great-grandson, she's too old to have a "little grandson."
    • The nurse says that the doctor allows Phoenix to have the medicine as long as she will come and get it. If she had a grandson in dire need of medicine, surely someone would make sure he got it. Could it be that this "medicine" is just flavored water?
    • And something Phoenix toward the end of the story: "He got a sweet look. He going to last....I remembers so plain now. I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time."

    Did she have a grandson? Yes, I believe she did. I believe also that she used to have to get medicine for his throat after he drank lye. But is he still alive? Of course he is, as long as somebody remembers him.

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    Posted by linda-allen on Monday February 25, 2008 at 1:04 PM

  4. anahijulie
    anahijulie Student
    College - Sophomore

    Mrs. Welty is trying to tell the audience to concentrate on Phoenix story and the obstacles she faces throughout the story, not on her grandson's life.

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    Posted by anahijulie on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 11:03 PM