What are the first three obstacles Phoenix Jackson faces in "A Worn Path"?

On her long, arduous journey in “A Worn Path,” Phoenix Jackson initially confronts three natural obstacles that are part of the story’s physical landscape. These three objects—a hill, a thorn bush, and a creek to cross by traversing a log—also reflect the landscape of her life; they represent obstacles constructed by white society for an elderly Black woman during the Great Depression in the South.

The first obstacle that Phoenix Jackson encounters as she trudges along a path is a hill.

The path ran up a hill. "Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far," she said, in the voice of argument old people keep to use with themselves. "Something always take a hold of me on this hill—pleads I should stay."

Her physical climb mirrors the uphill battles she has fought throughout her life and still faces today. For example, she never had a chance to obtain an education. By the time the Civil War ended with the “Surrender” at Appomattox, she was too old to attend school. Before the Civil War, she probably was a slave (or at least a descendant of one) with “chains about my feet” and a possession of someone who “always take a hold of me.” Her observation that something “pleads I should stay” describes the resistance of Southern confederates to the abolition of the institution of slavery. In the present day, Phoenix endures but does not fold under age, poverty, condescension by others, and her obligation to care for her severely injured grandson.

The second obstacle is a thorn bush she brushes after surmounting the hill.

But before she got to the bottom of the hill a bush caught her dress.

Her fingers were busy and intent, but her skirts were full and long, so that before she could pull them free in one place they were caught in another. It was not possible to allow the dress to tear. 'I in the thorny bush,' she said. 'Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass—no, sir. Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush.'

When she finally frees herself, she declares, "Sun so high!" and laments the wasted time spent on freeing herself.

This passage reflects the never-ending entrapment of slavery and systematic racism. Despite working furiously, she cannot liberate herself or completely resolve her situation. When she extricates herself from one area, her skirt is caught in another place. This Sisyphean task is made even more stressful because of her poverty: she cannot “allow the dress to tear” because this “dark and striped” dress may be her only nice dress. The thorn bush imagery and declaration “Sun so high” recall Jesus’s crown of thorns, a painful burden before his crucifixion and rise from the dead. The bush is doing its “appointed work. Never want to let folks pass,” which recalls how Christian slaveowners used religion to justify slavery. Her statement “Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush” foreshadows the ageism she encounters from a hunter and healthcare workers later in the story.

The third obstacle Phoenix meets is a “a log was laid across the creek.” She cannot cross the water without balancing on the log to use it as a precarious bridge.

"Now comes the trial," said Phoenix. Putting her right foot out, she mounted the log and shut her eyes. Lifting her skirt, leveling her cane fiercely before her like a festival figure in some parade, she began to march across. Then she opened her eyes and she was safe on the other side.

"I wasn't as old as I thought," she said.

The creek represents the divide between antebellum and post-Civil War South. In order to navigate that social transition, Phoenix must endure racial narrow-minded prejudice just as she walks on the narrow log. Determined (“fierce”) and persistent despite fear, she succeeds in passing through this “trial” in spite of her “old” age.

What are the first three obstacles Phoenix Jackson faces in "A Worn Path"?

Phoenix Jackson is shown to have to battle through a variety of difficulties to get to her goal and receive the medicine that her grandson needs. Firstly, it is shown that nature itself becomes an obstacle, as she has to descend a hill and gets her dress caught on some thorns. Then she has to cross a log that is lying across a creek, and then finally she needs to crawl through a barbed-wire fence. Through all of these first three obstacles that she has to face, it is clear that she is tired and hungry, and this makes her determination to endure all of these hardships all the more remarkable. Note the way in which she addresses the thorns that have caught in her dress and which she has to struggle to free herself from:

"Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir. Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush."

Symbolically, we could argue that the thorn bushes and the other obstacles that Phoenix Jackson faces so early on in her journey could represent the unexpected obstacles that one must overcome on the path of life. Phoenix Jackson, through her determination and stubborness, keeps on the path, moving onwards and overcoming every obstacle that she faces with gritty stoicism.

How would you describe Phoenix Jackson's traits in "A Worn Path"?

Help with Analysis of Phoenix Jackson in "A Worn Path"

In the story "A Worn Path" how would I describe the personality of Phoenix Jackson and what aspects of the story can support my essay?

Phoenix Jackson is a lady. She has pride and dignity. When she arrives in town after her arduous journey, she stops a woman on the street and asks her to tie her shoes. Phoenix can't do this simple task herself because of her age. Phoenix says, "Do all right for out in the country, but wouldn't look right to go in a big building."

Phoenix is completely self-sacrificing. When she steals the hunter's nickel, she says to herself, "God watching me the whole time. I come to stealing. Later, in town, the nurse asks if she could give Phoenix a few pennies. Phoenix says, "Five pennies is a nickel." This is as close to begging as Phoenix most likely has ever come, but she needs another nickel to add to the one she has stolen so that she can buy a toy for her grandson.

There is nothing Phoenix will not do for the boy she loves. She even endures insult and humiliation when the attendant in the office hatefully calls her a "charity case" and tells her to "Speak up, Grandma." Phoenix endures this disrespect because she has to in order to complete her mission, but "a twitch to her face" suggests it isn't easy for her.

How would you describe Phoenix Jackson's traits in "A Worn Path"?

Phoenix Jackson is a caring, devoted, determined grandmother who will do whatever it takes, including putting her life in danger, to get the medicine her grandson needs. She is also brave and knows how to take advantage of situations she is in.  For example, she picks up a nickel after the hunter is distracted by one of his dogs in the forest.  She also knows how to play "dumb" at times and will resort to doing so to get what she wants (at the doctor's office, for example).  She is a very savvy woman who is absolutely resolute when it comes to her mission.

How does Phoenix Jackson react to the three obstacles in "A Worn Path"?

In the short story "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, an old African American woman named Phoenix Jackson periodically makes a long walk through rugged countryside from her isolated home to town to obtain needed medicine. Her determination is fueled by her love for her grandson, whose throat swells shut if he does not have the medicine that his grandmother acquires from a clinic.

The first obstacle that Phoenix encounters is a patch of thorn bushes. The dress she wears is probably her only one, so "it was not possible to allow the dress to tear." She has to carefully untangle her dress each time it catches on a thorn. As she does this, she talks to the thorn bushes, saying, "Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass—no sir." By the time she is free of the thorns, she is weeping and trembling.

The next obstacle is a log placed across a creek that she has to cross. When she encounters it, she says, "Now comes the trial." The prospect of walking on the log frightens her so much that she closes her eyes as she walks across. When she gets over safely, she says, "I wasn't as old as I thought," but then, she stops to rest. She daydreams that a little boy brings her a piece of marble cake.

The next obstacle is a barbed wire fence. She has to "creep and crawl" through it. She is afraid of tearing her dress or cutting her arms or legs. She talks "loudly to herself" as she makes it through this obstacle, probably to alleviate her fear.

She then goes through a cornfield that she calls a "maze," but this is more of a psychological obstacle than a physical one. She fears encountering a bull or a snake, and when she comes across a scarecrow, she at first thinks it is a man or a ghost. She then falls into a ditch, but a man with a dog and a shotgun pulls her out. She eventually makes it into town for the needed medicine.

In "A Worn Path," how does the author develop Phoenix's character?

Phoenix Jackson is the protagonist of "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty, and the author develops the woman's character by description and action.

Phoenix Jackson is an old woman, which is clear from the first lines of the story:

Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods. Her name was Phoenix Jackson. She was very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows, moving a little from side to side in her steps, with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grand-father clock. She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her.

These few lines give us a lot of information about Phoenix. She lives far from the city, probably in some isolation; she is a very old Negro; she is a small woman with a red rag tied on her head; though she is old and a bit unsteady (she uses a cane and walks very slowly), she is walking slowly but deliberately through the woods on this cold day. She has lived a long time in rather difficult circumstances, but she is still a bit whimsical (wearing a red rag, after all). All of this reveals her as a woman of strong character and fortitude.

The journey she makes demonstrates her resilience and her humor, perhaps the reason she is able to remain strong. She is on a mission, but the journey is rather comical. Phoenix talks herself as well as to the animals. When she has to cross a creek by walking across a log, she is not deterred. 

Putting her right foot out, she mounted the log and shut her eyes. Lifting her skirt, leveling her cane fiercely before her, like a festival figure in some parade, she began to march across. Then she opened her eyes and she was safe on the other side.

She gets tangled in the thorns of a bush and is toppled into a ditch by a dog. Here the old woman waits in what, for most of us, would be the pinnacle of indignity; however, Phoenix has learned, over the course of her long life, to be resilient and patient. So she just waits for someone to rescue her. 

In town she is an object of derision and ridicule, but she is undeterred; her mission is to get some medicine for her grandson and will not leave until she gets it. She displays humility by asking a stranger to help tie her shoe but is subject to humiliation when others make fun of her and assume she is a beggar.

This is a journey Phoenix makes often, a sacrifice she is willing to endure for another, highlighting the sacrificial nature of this old and rather humorous (and perhaps senile) old woman. 

Eudora Welty develops the character of Phoenix Jackson through description and action. 

How are Phoenix Jackson and the mythological phoenix related in "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty?

The phoenix is a legendary bird said to rise from the dead when it gets old by burning up and reemerging from the ashes. Phoenix, the old woman in the story, is like the legendary phoenix in being strong, indomitable, and indestructible.

Like a Greek hero, Phoenix goes on an epic quest in which she must overcome many challenges to fulfill her goals. For her, the path through the woods to town is filled with obstacles for an old woman walking with a cane and suffering from poor eyesight. Yet she shows unwavering determination to get to her destination.

For example, when she has to cross a creek by walking on a log, she does so. Afterwards, having been successful, she hints at rebirth when she thinks,

I wasn't as old as I thought.

Later, she stops to rest and drifts off to sleep. A jaunty young man, who doesn't take her seriously, comes along and helps her to her feet, which is another form of rebirth:

He lifted her up, gave her a swing in the air, and set her down. "Anything broken, Granny?"

"No sir, them old dead weeds is springy enough," said Phoenix, when she had got her breath.

Phoenix springs back to life here. While old women are often ridiculed in literature, especially if they are single, Welty goes to pains to show this old woman in a heroic light. Phoenix is strong, can't be vanquished or destroyed, and uses her wits both to get medicine for her grandson and to get the dime she needs to buy him a gift.

How are Phoenix Jackson and the mythological phoenix related in "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty?

“The Worn Path” by Eudora Welty presents an unforgettable character, Phoenix Jackson. This is an elderly woman who demands admiration and respect.  Her task is formidable but she is driven to complete it as she has many times before.  The reader will go along with Phoenix as she travels on her mission to help her grandson.

The worn path is the trail that Phoenix must travel to accomplish her goal.  It is a road full of obstacles, but Phoenix will stand up for herself and complete her journey. Phoenix’s name connects her to the mythological bird, the Phoenix. 

The legendary Phoenix is a large scarlet and gold bird which matures to an old age, then bursts into flames and is reborn from the ashes. Phoenix Jackson’s appearance likens her to the mythological bird. 

The description by the author uses the color of gold running underneath her skin. Her cheeks were illuminated by a yellow burning under the dark skin.  Her head is covered by a red rag.  Compare the bird’s description as having beautiful red and gold plumage. Phoenix, said to be a good and wonderful bird, possesses nobility and powers of endurance. Phoenix Jackson shares these same qualities.

As she walks along her path, Phoenix carries an umbrella as a cane.  She uses it to ward off any creatures that might come in her way.  She has to cross a log over a creek, go up and down hills, throw thorn bushes, and Phoenix's appearance is yet another aspect of her likeness to the phoenix.

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.

The reader begins to wonder if senility has taken over Phoenix.  At times, she appears lucid and at other times, her mind wanders.  Her eyesight does fool her at times.  For example, she thinks the scarecrow she passes is a ghost.

At times, Phoenix has to rest.  Her legs and age get the best of her.

Seems like there is chains about my feet time I get this far.  Something always take a hold of me on this hill—pleads I should stay.

She comes to a wild dog on her path and to avoid him falls in a ditch.  A hunter comes along and pulls her out. Although his behavior toward her is accommodating, his attitude toward her bespeaks the racist attitudes that Phoenix has faced all of her life. He calls her “Granny,” tells her to go home, and then accuses her of going to town to see Santa Claus.

Phoenix gets the best of the hunter.  She sees a nickel fall out of his pocket.  She sends him chasing the dog and picks up the nickel.  The hunter again tells her to go home.

When she arrives in Natchez, Phoenix finds the doctor’s office.   Her mind fails her, and she cannot remember why she is there.  Finally, one of the nurses, who remembers her, tells her to hurry up because she is wasting their time.  Phoenix receives the medicine, gets another nickel, and hurries off to buy her grandson a Christmas present with the dime that she has collected.

Phoenix Jackson rises like the Greek Phoenix as one of the most determined and wonderful characters in literature.  Her selflessness and inner beauty symbolize a woman who will not be stopped in helping her grandson.  He will get his medicine and his Christmas present. Sadly, the reader knows that Phoenix faces the long journey home on the “worn path.” She does not mind because at the end of the trek are smiles and hugs.

Why is "Phoenix" an appropriate name for the main character in "A Worn Path"?

"A Worn Path" is the story of an old woman's journey from her country home into town to buy medicine. Along the way, the main character, Phoenix, falls down into a gulley. Since she is in a remote area, it is difficult to know how she will get out.

The title is a play on words, since Phoenix is also "worn out." She always takes the same path, one she knows, so it is implied that she wears out the path over the years. But there is also irony in this fact, since the path offers many surprises on this trip.

During her walk, she meets thorny brush, a black dog, and a hunter. Each time an obstacle comes her way, she manages to deal with it, but her falling down the hill into the ditch is the climax of the story. The hunter helps her, but the reader isn't sure at first if he will.

Although Phoenix does receive some help, much of her journey is difficult and somewhat ambiguous. She is getting medicine, but it's not totally clear if that will solve her nephew's problem. She receives help from the hunter and obtains medicine at the pharmacy, and an attendant offers her a nickel for Christmas.

"Phoenix" is an appropriate name because she rises out of the ditch, despite the unlikelihood of her survival, just like the mythical phoenix that rose from the ashes after death.

Why is "Phoenix" an appropriate name for the main character in "A Worn Path"?

The mythical creature, The Phoenix, is able to rejuvenate, to rise again from ash and decay, and to continue on past what logically it should. These features make the creature relatable to the character of Phoenix Jackson. She is older, starting to lose her mind and her physical abilities. Yet, despite the fact that she should not able to make this trip to town on her own still, she is able to push on and persevere. When she gets to town, her mental limitations begin once again taking over, and she momentarily forgets why she has come. Just like the phoenix, she rises from this lapse once again with renewed strength, showing that her love and concern for her grandson is stronger than the grasp of age and time.

What obstacles does Phoenix face in the valley in "A Worn Path"?

The short story "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty tells of an old African American woman named Phoenix Jackson who makes a long trip into town to obtain medicine for her grandson. Years ago he had swallowed some lye, and he needs the medication to soothe his throat. If you start at the beginning and go through the story paragraph by paragraph, you'll find that Phoenix faces numerous obstacles on her journey.

The primary obstacle she carries with her all the time: it's her old and uncooperative body. She has trouble walking, she needs a makeshift cane to help her, and she has trouble with her own shoelaces. She also has difficulty seeing properly.

The first outside physical obstacle she encounters is a thorn bush. It catches on her dress, and she has to pull it off carefully so that her dress doesn't tear. She then has to walk over a log laid across a creek. This frightens her, so she closes her eyes as she walks across. The next obstacle is a barbed wire fence, which she has to get by very carefully.

She has to go through a cornfield that she calls a maze because there is no path. In the midst of the corn she comes across the scarecrow, which she first thinks is a ghost.

When she descends into a ravine, she comes across a black dog, which she hits with her cane. She then falls into a ditch and has trouble getting out. The white hunter that comes along pulls her out, but he becomes the next obstacle by pointing his gun at her, taunting her and telling her to go home.

Phoenix has almost reached the medical clinic when she realizes that her untied shoelaces are an obstacle. She asks a passerby to tie them for her.

Finally, throughout the story, Phoenix's mind is sometimes an obstacle to her. She lapses into daydreams on occasion, and at the clinic for a short time, she forgets why she is there.

What obstacles does Phoenix face in the valley in "A Worn Path"?

Phoenix Jackson faces a number of obstacles in the valley as she travels to the doctor's office to procure the medicine needed by her grandson. Before she even reaches the bottom of the big hill that always seems to want her to stay, her skirts catch in a thorny bush, and it seems as though "before she could pull them free in one place they were caught in another." 

Next, Phoenix comes to a creek, and she must walk across a log to reach the other side. She lifts up her skirts, closes her eyes, and walks across. After sitting for a short rest, she has to make her way through a barbwire fence. Phoenix, an old woman, must get down on her hands and knees and crawl like a baby in order to avoid getting her clothes or skin snagged in the barbs. After this, she has to walk through the old cotton fields and a field of dead corn; there is no longer a path for this part, and she refers to it as a maze. As she makes her way from the valley, even more things happen to delay her, but she continues her plodding way forward, letting her feet remember the way.

What obstacles does Phoenix face in the valley in "A Worn Path"?

The name "Phoenix" seems to symbolize Phoenix Jackson's almost magical ability to stay alive and make the incredibly difficult journey through the wilderness to the city for her grandson's medicine. A phoenix is a mythological creature, a beautiful red bird that bursts into flames when it grows old; then, it is reborn from the ashes of its old self. This cycle repeats itself over and over.

Likewise, much of the language associated with Phoenix is associated with fire. Early on, the narrator says that a "golden color" runs underneath her forehead and that her cheeks are "illumined by a yellow burning under the dark." Later, when she sits in the doctor's office, a "flicker and then a flame of comprehension [comes] across her face" as she remembers why she has come. Furthermore, the narrator says that there is "sweat on her face" and that her "wrinkles [...] shone like a bright net," almost like she is lit from within by the light and heat from some flame. It is as though Phoenix is animated by something magical, like the love she feels for her little grandson is so strong that it actually sustains her life and keeps her going, just like the phoenix's life continues long after it should be over.

What obstacles does Phoenix face in the valley in "A Worn Path"?

Phoenix Jackson's dialect is used to characterize her as a resilient, Southern Black woman.

When Phoenix mistakes a scarecrow for a ghost, she laughs at her own confusion, attributing the error to her age:

I ought to be shut up for good ... My senses is gone. I too old. I the oldest people I ever know.

Phoenix drops verbs here ("I [am] too old") and also demonstrates pronoun disagreement ("I the oldest people"). These omissions and disagreement characterize her as likely lacking a formal education. A similar dialect pattern is seen when she enters the building in town: "Here I be."

When she is confronted by the man in the woods, he asks Phoenix if his gun scares her. She is confident in her reply: "No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done."

Again, Phoenix's dialect reflects the omission of verbs but also demonstrates respect for the man who stands in her path with a gun. Phoenix's reply thus conveys both dignity and resilience, which are captured in her simple and straightforward dialect.

"A Worn Path" was published in 1941, so Phoenix was likely born sometime before the Civil War began. She has therefore experienced great adversity, particularly in the setting of Mississippi. Dialect is used to demonstrate the innate strength that has developed despite Phoenix's humble life.

What are heroic qualities that Phoenix possesses in "A Worn Path"?

Certainly not a prepossessing figure, Phoenix Jackson is an atypical hero. Nevertheless, she does demonstrate heroic qualities. Three such qualities that Phoenix possesses are courage, self-sacrifice, and flaws.

COURAGE

A very old and small woman, Phoenix is so driven by the love of her pitiful grandson that she ventures forth out into the frozen world, and will not be deterred from her quest. When there is a "quivering in the thicket," she bravely issues orders,

"Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits,....Keep the wild hogs out of my path.  Don't let none of those come running in my direction.  I got a long way."

Along the path, Phoenix faces challenges.  At one point, she declares, "Now comes the trial" as she must cross a creek by walking on a log.  Successful, Phoenix remarks, "I wasn't as old as I thought."  Then, she encounters an ominous buzzard, "Who you watching?" she asks him. Indeed, the course that she takes is fraught with obstacles as she traverses ravines, fields, a swamp. Finally, she encounters a dog, which she strikes with her cane until the owner claims him. But, to frighten her, the hunter points his gun at Phoenix who straightens and faces it, to his amazement.

"Well, Granny," he said, you must be a hundred years old, and scared of nothing." 

"I bound to go on my way, mister," said Phoenix.

Once at the hospital, Phoenix asks for the medicine; the doctors have told the nurse that as long as she comes for it, she may have it. And, along with the medicine, Phoenix receives a coin that she determines to carry back with her to find a windmill to delight her grandson.

SELF-SACRIFICE

Always Granny places her own desires and needs second to those of the child. Lovingly, she speaks of him to the nurse at the clinic,

"my little grandson, he sit up there in the house...waiting by himself....We is the only two left in the world....I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time.  I could tell him from all the others in creation....I'll mach myself back where he waiting ...."

Then her slow step began on the stairs...

as she commences her long return, determined to bring the boy a windmill along with his medicine.

FLAWS

Just as all great heroes have flaws--Lancelot loved Guenevere, Oedipus had his overbearing pride, Argon his self-doubt--so, too, is Phoenix plagued with memory loss and age that impede her in her trip and mission. As the nurse frowns at her,

...Phoenix was like an old woman begging a dignified forgiveness for waking up frightened in the night.  "I never did go to school. I was too old at the Surrender....I am an old woman without an education.  It was my memory fail me."

With her mythological name, Phoenix Jackson is a likely hero to embark upon a quest for the medicine that will ease her grandson's pain.  Along the way, Phoenix encounters obstacles, but she is undeterred, for she is on a mission of love that knows no failure.

A diminutive and aging figure, Phoenix Jackson may be an unlikely hero, but she truly exhibits those qualities which make one heroic and remembered. For, like a hero, she embarks upon a quest and seems indestructible, almost immortal.

What heroic qualities does Phoenix exhibit in "A Worn Path"?

Typical qualities of a hero include a strong determination to accomplish a goal, a sense of purpose, loyalty, and sacrifice. Welty’s character, Phoenix Jackson, exhibits all of these qualities, although not in a conventional or epic sense. Her willingness to traverse the dangerous path to get from her house into town shows both determination and sense of purpose. Even when the white hunter tries to send her back home, she says no, that she is bound to go to town. Clearly she is loyal to her grandson, for whom she makes the journey. The sacrifice she makes is her time and effort to make the trip into town and to buy her grandson a prize when she gets coins for her trouble. So, yes, Eudora Welty’s character Phoenix Jackson from “A Worn Path” can be seen as a heroic figure.

What do Phoenix's words and actions in "A Worn Path" tell you about her?

By observing Phoenix’s words and actions, the reader can infer at least three things about the main character.  First, the reader can infer that Phoenix has made her trip many times before.  The first clue to this is the story’s title:  “A Worn Path.”  Further, however, are some of her comments along the way such as “seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far.”  Another example is when Phoenix says, “Nobody know who made this well, for it was here when I was born.”  When she is asked about why she comes to town, she replies, “The time come around.”

The reader can also infer that Phoenix knows the value of money, but is too proud to ask for charity.  Phoenix has a keen eye to spot the hunter’s nickel fall to the ground and wastes no time in stooping to pick it up.  When someone offers to give her some money, her reply is, “Five pennies is a nickel.”  This money, of which she had none when she began her journey, is used to buy a pinwheel for her grandson.  Phoenix wisely uses extraneous money to buy an extraneous item.  The irony here is that her entire trip is made to procure free medicine for her grandson.

Finally, the reader can infer that Phoenix has fallen victim to condescending attitudes before and has become brave as a result.  The hunter is the first character that has a condescending attitude towards Phoenix, calling her “Granny” and continually laughing at her as she lay in a ditch.  When he “laughed and lifted his gun and pointed it at Phoenix.  She stood straight and faced him.”  This is bravery at its finest.  Not only can we assume that she has met this kind of condescension before, but also we can infer that her years of experience have taught her how to react.  The nurse and the attendant at the doctor’s office have the same attitude toward Phoenix.  They demand answers and tell her that she “mustn’t take up our time this way.”  Her persistence provides the bravery here, and she leaves with the medicine for which she came.  One can even infer that Phoenix has been treated similarly by the same people in this same office before.  Again, her years of experience have taught her how to react in order to get the result she wants.

What do Phoenix's words and actions in "A Worn Path" tell you about her?

The first time we hear Phoenix speak, she says:

Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!...Keep out from under these feet, little bob-whites...Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don't let none of those come running my direction. I got a long way.

All of these sentences, except for the final one, are imperative sentences. In other words, each is phrased as a command. She tells the animals to get “Out of (her) way” and to “Keep out from under (her) feet.” This repetition of imperative sentences suggests that Phoenix is a rather bad-tempered old lady or that she is simply in a hurry to get somewhere.

A little later in the story, as she is walking up a hill, Phoenix says, “Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far,” and then, “Something always take a hold of me on this hill - pleads I should stay.” Phoenix’s speech is grammatically unconventional. For example, she uses the singular form of the verb, “take” with the singular form of the noun “Something.” She should, to be grammatically correct (or conventional), use the plural form of the verb with the singular form of the noun. Such grammatically unconventional constructions suggest that Phoenix is perhaps a lower-class woman.

In the quotations above, Phoenix also uses vague, speculative language like “Something” and “Seem like.” This vague, speculative language implies that Phoenix is uncertain or confused as to what it is that seems to hold her back. She seems to suspect that there is some invisible, mysterious force at work. She also uses a simile to compare this mysterious force to “chains about [her] feet,” implying that it is a hostile force. This perhaps indicates that Phoenix is not only uncertain or confused, but also perhaps a little afraid.

Phoenix also has a playful side to her personality, however, and this too comes out in her speech. For example, when somebody asks her later in the story, “How old are you, Granny?” she replies with, “There’s no telling, mister…no telling.” When the same person asks her what she is doing lying in a ditch, Phoenix replies, “Lying on my back like a June bug waiting to be turned over, mister.”

What do Phoenix's words and actions in "A Worn Path" tell you about her?

I think as we examine this excellent story that what stands out in terms of Phoenix Jackson and her actions is the way that she sacrifices and endures so much for love. In a sense, the name Phoenix symbolises renewal and rebirth, and the journey for Phoenix Jackson is so important to her because every time she makes it her love for her grandson is renewed. The "worn path" of the title thus could be said to refer to a path of self-sacrifice that is inspired by love that Granny Weatherall takes, combatting and enduring, and finally overcoming, all obstacles thanks to her radical determination and stubborness. In spite of the many hardships she has faced during her life, she shows that she is able to overcome racism, lack of education and poverty to reach her goal--all for love:

Then Phoenix was like an old woman begging a dignified forgiveness for waking up frightened in the night. "I never did go to school, I was too old at the Surrrender," she said in a soft voice.

We see how Phoenix Jackson has had to struggle against so many things thanks to her background and the colour of her skin, and yet the momentous, one could almost say epic, journey that she completes every year shows how she is able to transcend her own personal difficulties and background to achieve her goals.

How would you characterize Phoenix Jackson in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path"?

Physically, the narrator tells us that Phoenix Jackson is "very old and small and she walked slowly"; she is physically frail, even carrying a cane to help her with balance. Her dress is "neat and tidy," though her shoelaces are untied, and her face is lined with "numberless branching wrinkles." It seems as though she is lit from within by a "golden color" and a "yellow burning" under the darkness of her skin. The red color of the rag she wears over her hair seems to symbolize her strength and perseverance, the figurative fire that keeps her going. Phoenix is also very self-reliant: she has no help, but relies only on her own feet and memory to get her where she needs to go. When she reaches the "trial," a log laid over a creek, "she mount[s] the log and shut[s] her eyes." She opens them again when "she [is] safe on the other side." She's brave as well, "holding utterly still" when the hunter points his gun straight at her. Finally, she's incredibly loving, going to such great lengths to soothe and comfort her grandson.

How would you characterize Phoenix Jackson in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path"?

Phoenix Jackson, the story's protagonist, is mostly shown through the use of indirect characterization, when the writer reveals the character's attributes through their behavior and speech. We must read between the lines or interpret their actions and words to figure out who and what they are like. This is in contrast to direct characterization, where the writer (or narrator) makes descriptive statements (with adjectives) about the character's personality. For example, the narrator does not say that Phoenix is loving, but we can gather from the fact that she is willing to make such a dangerous and arduous journey at her advanced age, just to procure medicine that will help her young grandson feel better, that she loves him very much. Her words, describing him, help to confirm this. The narrator does not tell us that Phoenix is brave, but we see her hold her ground when the hunter cruelly points a gun directly at her; she does not cower or beg. Early on in the story, the narrator describes Phoenix's skin as quite wrinkled but says that "a golden color ran underneath, and the two knobs of her cheeks were illumined by a yellow burning under the dark." Such a description relies on figurative language, and the narrator uses a metaphor to compare Phoenix's apparent life force to a fire. From this, we can ascertain that, though old, Phoenix is still very vital and full of life. Despite her age, she is still, in some ways, like a young person.

How would you characterize Phoenix Jackson in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path"?

The Phoenix in Greek mythology is a bird-like creature that matures to an extreme age before it bursts into flames and is reborn from the ashes. As it matures and ages, its beauty and colors of red and gold intensify.  The Phoenix always rises up again with its main characteristic of determination.  Cleverly, Eudora Welty’s Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist in “A Worn Path,” parallels the mythological bird in description and actions.  She is an unforgettable character.

Described by the author as elderly and small, Phoenix measures her steps carefully as she travels through the woods to complete her mission. She carries an umbrella as a cane and to ward off any creatures that might be in her path. Her black face is so wrinkled that it seems to follow a specific pattern and an undercoating of a golden color.  Dressed in a neat and tidy fashion, her shoes are untied because she cannot tie them anymore.  This is a woman of subtle grandeur that few would look deep enough to see.

Driven by one purpose-- her young grandson swallowed lye and damaged his throat.  Medicine keeps him alive; this is the reason that Phoenix issues forth on this cold December morning to walk all the way to Natchez—he needs his medicine. Phoenix does not know how old she is, and she never went to school.  Her knowledge is common sense, and it comes from her heart

Her path is hazardous, yet Phoenix has traveled it often.  Her constant banter elicits a laugh from the reader, but to Phoenix, the dangers are real:

“Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!...Keep out from under these feet, little bobwhites…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.” 

Phoenix must walk up and down hills, through thorn bushes, and crawl under barbed wired fences—all of which she has down many times before as she journeys along. Today, though everything seems a little harder:

Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far. Something takes hold of me on this hill and pleads that I should stay.

On this day, her trip is disturbed by a wild dog and a hunter.  The hunter helps Phoenix who fell in a ditch avoiding the dog.  Typical of the time and place, the hunter’s racist attitude is ignored by Phoenix.  Unknowingly, he provides a nickel that it is important for her.

When Phoenix arrives at the doctor’s office, she encounters some of the same racial treatment. Today, Phoenix has to sit down. Her fatigue and age have made her unable to remember why she is there.  After one of the nurses recognizes her and tells her to quit wasting their time, Phoenix asks for the important medicine.  It is Christmas time, so one of the nurses gives her another nickel. 

These two nickels are to Phoenix like getting the golden ring at the carnival.  Phoenix will be able to buy her grandson a Christmas present.  This makes her long trek more than worth its danger.

As she begins her long trip back, Phoenix does not mind.  She knows that when she completes the walk on the worn path, the smiles that await her will make everything she endures worthwhile. Welty's Phoenix, as the one in Greek mythology, accomplished her mission and determines to hurry home.

What do Phoenix's encounters in "A Worn Path" reveal about her character?

The original question had to be edited down.  Phoenix's interactions with the thorns are interesting in light of her characterization.  The thorns represent obstacles for her to overcome.  They are impediments that make her journey a difficult one.  They grab a hold of her clothes and challenge her ability to move through the path with ease.  In this sense, the thorns represent those challenges on any "worn path" that make the journey almost as significant as the destination.  The thorns reflect how committed Phoenix is in moving to her end purpose, as she is not deterred from her purpose on walking "the worn path."

Phoenix's reaction to the thorns is also very distinctive.  She does not curse the obstacles.  She does not outwardly reject them.  Phoenix recognizes the purpose of the obstacles, almost acknowledging their own right to exist:  "You doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir."  In this, Phoenix has taken an approach to the world that acknowledges the purpose and function of suffering and challenge.  This mature element of Phoenix's character is revealed in her approach to the thorns as an obstacle.  She understands that there is purpose in the world and even obstacles possess it.  Her encounter with the thorns shows this.

What does Phoenix struggle to see in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path"?

Although readers do not know Phoenix's specific age, it is clear she is very old and frail. She has difficulty seeing and faces many obstacles as she walks along the worn path into town. One of the things Phoenix has trouble seeing is the scarecrow, which she initially thinks is a ghost. Later, Phoenix doesn't notice a black dog approaching her as she is sitting down, meditating. When Phoenix finally receives the medicine for her grandson, she must hold the bottle close to her eyes to see it. 

It is interesting to note, however, that Phoenix has other skills beyond sight that help her navigate the world. One example of this is when she walks across the log with her eyes closed. Relying upon her balance rather than her sight, she is able to walk across the log without stumbling. When the shiny nickel falls out of the hunter's pocket, she sees a flash of light and knows money has fallen to the ground. While Phoenix's eyes are getting weaker as she gets older, she still manages to reach her goal of getting her grandson's medicine. 

Describe Phoenix in "A Worn Path".

Phoenix is the main character in this story.  She is a black woman who seems to be getting quite old.  She is old enough that the walk to town is no longer easy.  She walks in small steps and uses a cane.  She is old enough that, when she falls in the ditch, she is not able to get out on her own and has to stay there until the white hunter comes and helps her out of the ditch.

Mentally, she is also getting pretty old.  For example, she imagines that there is a boy giving her a piece of cake.

What details in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" relate to Phoenix's character?

The determination of Phoenix Jackson in "A Worn Path" is evident from the very first two sentences:

It was December--a bright frozen day in the early monring. Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied in a red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods.

She carries a thin, small cane made from an unbrella which she uses to tap the frozen earth before her. With eyes "blue from age" she walks straight ahead indicating diminished eyesight.  As she traverses the forest, Phoenix talks to the animals, warning them in a hopeful way to stay out from under her so she will not trip.

In her lifting of her skirt and placing her cane "fiercely" before her, Phoenix is like "a festival figure in some parade" as she marches across a log that bridges a creek.  When she sees a buzzard, she is reminded of her age:  "Who you watching?" she asks it with dignity.

When she falls over after a dog charges her, Phoenix is yet undaunted as a laughing hunter asks what she is doing:

'Lying on my back like a June-bug waiting to be turned over, mister,' she said reaching up her hand.

After chasing off the dog, the white man returns and points the gun at Phoenix, but she is not afraid, and holds "utterly still."  Nor does she say anything about the nickel she has retrieved after it fell from the man's pocket.  Only to herself has she said, "I come to stealing."

Decorously, when Phoenix reaches town, she asks someone to tie her shoelaces before she enters the big building.  Once she is inside, the nurse inquires about her grandson, Aunt Phoenix displays a quiet dignity and does not respond. Finally, she begs what is likened to "a dignified forgiveness for waking up frightened in the night":

'...My little grandson, he is just the same, and I forgot it in the coming....We is the only two left in the world.  He suffer and it don't seem to put him back at all....I remembers so plain now, I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time.  I could tell him from all the others in creation.'

Named for the mythological bird, Phoenix rises from her poverty and misfortune to perform her enduring act of love for her grandson.  She is perseverance and dignity and wisdom personified as she travels her worn path.

What details in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" relate to Phoenix's character?

Phoenix is clearly quite old and quite poor.  We can see her age from the fact that she cannot walk all that well.  We can see her poverty from the fact that she is only being given medicine on charity.

As far as her character goes, though, I would say that she is very brave.  You can see this first of all in the fact that she is willing, frail as she is, to walk into town to get the medicine.  We also see it in the fact that she can stand up to the white hunter and not be afraid of what he might do to her.

Why is the main character in "A Worn Path" named Phoenix? 

ENotes provides an excellent analysis of why the character is named Phoenix.

The phoenix is a bird from Indian and other ancient cultures' mythology, a sacred firebird that rises from its own ashes after death by burning.

For you to consider as you analyze:

• How is the character of Phoenix sacred? How is she an image of an admirable, ethical, worthy-to-be-esteemed woman?
• How has she been "burned" by life's circumstance?
• How does she "rise again" despite her difficulty?

For evidence of her suffering, begin with the situation of her grandson and his injured throat. Note how she is found (struggling in a ditch) and needing rescue. Note how she is treated due to racism, especially in the name she is called -- "Granny" and in the taunting with the gun. And then explain in your analysis how she overcomes all these obstacles through both words and deeds.

Finally, consider the title of the story, "A Worn Path." Is the title only referencing the path, or taking into the account the fact that this woman's life is worn down with struggle, just as fire reduces something to ash? And yet, the path remains...

Any time you see a name that sounds familiar of a character, it is worth researching for its various connotations.

What actions or speeches reveal Phoenix Jackson's character traits in "A Worn Path"?

Phoenix Jackson is an elderly woman, a bit infirm, but feisty and determined.  She sets out on a journey to get medicine for her grandson, a journey that takes her through a forest where there are many threats to her safety and her life.  She does not give up on her assigned task, however, overcoming all obstacles, even when she is frightened.

"Old Phoenix said, "Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!. . . Keep out from under these feet, little bob-whites.... Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don't let none of those come running my direction. I got a long way."  (Welty)

Even when she catches her dress on some thorns, she is undeterred, she keep on going.

"I in the thorny bush," she said. "Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir. Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush." (Welty)

The character is described as committed to her journey, even when she encounters a man with a gun and a dog, and the man suggests that the old woman should go home, she is too old to be going to town by herself.

"Doesn't the gun scare you?" he said, still pointing it.

"No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by, in my day, and for less than what I done," she said, holding utterly still." (Welty)

"He smiled, and shouldered the gun. "Well, Granny," he said, "you must be a hundred years old, and scared of nothing. I'd give you a dime if I had any money with me. But you take my advice and stay home, and nothing will happen to you." (Welty)

She is a loving, caring Grandmother, devoted to her sick grandson, who swallowed lye, and now suffers, he is her only relative, and even though she is old, she still makes the trip to town to get the "soothing medicine" for her grandson.

"My little grandson, he sit up there in the house all wrapped up, waiting by himself," Phoenix went on. "We is the only two left in the world. He suffer and it don't seem to put him back at all. He got a sweet look. He going to last. He wear a little patch quilt and peep out holding his mouth open like a little bird. I remembers so plain now. I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time. I could tell him from all the others in creation." (Welty)

What two ways does the author develop Phoenix's character in "A Worn Path"?

 There are several ways Welty characterizes Phoenix. Two of the more obvious are through external description and through the name given, which is symbolic. Look at the first paragraph:
It was December—a bright frozen day in the early morning.Far out in the country there was an old Negro woman with her head tied red rag, coming along a path through the pinewoods. Her name was Phoenix Jackson. She was very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows, moving a little from side to side in her steps, with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grand-father clock. She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her. This made a grave and persistent noise in the still air, that seemed meditative like the chirping of a solitary little bird."
 As for her name, this symbolizes that she will fall and rise again, be burned and returned to life, like the mythic bird.

How was Phoenix kind in "A Worn Path"?

Because of her age, the journey is a difficult one. Even when she gets caught in the thorns, she seems to be sympathetic to the thorns themselves. "Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir. Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush." Here, Phoenix is even kind to the thorns. It is as if she has a kinship with the forest and/or the natural world of her environment. Later, she doesn't curse the scarecrow for scaring her; she laughs about it. These reactions reveal an aspect of her kindness. 

Phoenix's kindness is truly demonstrated by her dedication to her grandson. She is too old to continue making the trip into town, but she does so to get her grandson's medicine. She "rises" again and again to make the trip. This relates to the significance of her name: the phoenix rising from the ashes. She is so dedicated to the care of her grandson that she even uses all of her spare change to buy her grandson a windmill.

Whether other people are rude (the hunter) or kind, Phoenix is polite. She thanks the woman for tying her shoe and she thanks the nurse even though the nurse is dismissive when Phoenix has an unresponsive spell. 

How does Phoenix Jackson's journey in "A Worn Path" reflect Eudora Welty's view of life?

I think that elements of Welty's fundamental view of life which can be taken from the story is the presence of struggle in one's existence.  Certainly, Welty understood this in her own condition of being as one in which the need to overcome struggle is evident.  Welty grew up in the Great Depression, where struggle was everywhere.  She also sought to be a working woman, another realm in which struggle is displayed.  Phoenix Jackson's journey is one undertaken with the presence of struggle understood.  The thorns, the obstacles of the dog and hunter, the callousness of people around her will not prevent her from doing her job.  

At the same time, one can see how Welty's desire to write and to compose thoughts about her world of the South was something that drove her and animated her.  She was so closely identified with what she loved.  For Welty, her view of life can be seen as that one is what they love.  Phoenix is much the same way.  She clearly understands that her grandson needs her and she makes the dangerous trek, fighting all the elements that present themselves, because of this love.  For Phoenix, she is what she loves.  Phoenix is the love embodied for her grandson and the devotion she feels for him.  In both of these, one sees Welty's view of life represented in the story.  Life as being defined by challenges that need to be faced and overcome as well as individuals representing what it is they love are both critical elements that define Phoenix as well as Welty's understanding of life.