A worn Path
Jerry Reynolds
Conflict Essay: A Worn Path
The short story, “A Worn Path”, by Eudora Welty, focuses on an old, fragile woman by the name of Phoenix who makes a journey to the city in order to obtain medicine for her ill grandson. Although this may sound simple, it becomes apparent that Phoenix faces several challenges along her journey such as her old age, dealing with the environment, and her lack of purpose. In the beginning of the story, the setting is described as being a bright frozen day in the middle of a cold December. These harsh conditions point out the difficult path that Phoenix must deal with; this is interesting because the description accurately gives the story its title “A Worn Path”. The frozen forest is one of Phoenix’s worst enemies, and not only does she have to deal with the brutal cold, but she has to deal with everything the forest surrounds her with such as the wild animals. “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jackrabbits, coons, and wild animals!...” She then moves along the forest only to encounter more obstacles such as the thorny bush. “Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass no sir.” As Phoenix resumes her journey, she must get down on her hands and knees and crawl under a barb-wired fence, which points out more difficulty the forest is making her deal with. Thus, the forest proves to be a tough adversary to Phoenix. In addition to the rigorous environment, Phoenix has do deal with her old age. Being an old woman, Phoenix lacks youthful energy which is needed to move along through the forest. She consistently needs to rest because she is so fragile, and occasionally stops to drink from the river. This shows that as an old woman she doesn’t have the necessary stamina to move along on an appropriate basis. In a further matter, Phoenix meets a hunter who sees the path as strenuous. Considering that a younger man would see the path difficult, he questions how an old lady such
Conflict Essay: A Worn Path
The short story, “A Worn Path”, by Eudora Welty, focuses on an old, fragile woman by the name of Phoenix who makes a journey to the city in order to obtain medicine for her ill grandson. Although this may sound simple, it becomes apparent that Phoenix faces several challenges along her journey such as her old age, dealing with the environment, and her lack of purpose. In the beginning of the story, the setting is described as being a bright frozen day in the middle of a cold December. These harsh conditions point out the difficult path that Phoenix must deal with; this is interesting because the description accurately gives the story its title “A Worn Path”. The frozen forest is one of Phoenix’s worst enemies, and not only does she have to deal with the brutal cold, but she has to deal with everything the forest surrounds her with such as the wild animals. “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jackrabbits, coons, and wild animals!...” She then moves along the forest only to encounter more obstacles such as the thorny bush. “Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass no sir.” As Phoenix resumes her journey, she must get down on her hands and knees and crawl under a barb-wired fence, which points out more difficulty the forest is making her deal with. Thus, the forest proves to be a tough adversary to Phoenix. In addition to the rigorous environment, Phoenix has do deal with her old age. Being an old woman, Phoenix lacks youthful energy which is needed to move along through the forest. She consistently needs to rest because she is so fragile, and occasionally stops to drink from the river. This shows that as an old woman she doesn’t have the necessary stamina to move along on an appropriate basis. In a further matter, Phoenix meets a hunter who sees the path as strenuous. Considering that a younger man would see the path difficult, he questions how an old lady such