With her long dress and unlaced shoes, Phoenix Jackson the protagonist of the story lets nothing stop her on her journey in the frigid December weather. In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” Phoenix Jackson is an unpredictable old Negro woman who is determined to acquire the medication for her “ill”grandson, and through all of the tough obstacles she somehow pulls through and reaches her goal, aside from her thoughts that ties into the story. It seems like she is living in denial and as if she has walked this whole “worn path” only to compensate herself and make herself feel better about the true situation she is in after the loss of her grandson.
In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty portrays Phoenix as a very old and small Negro woman who may seem ready to pass through anything that is thrown her way, but the descriptions of some events contain psychological connection to the story line. The story itself is quite simple but the way Welty uses metaphors and irony is how the psychological connection comes into play. Phoenix may always seem to know what exactly is going on around her, but the way she describes certain events can lead us to believe she’s not exactly in the right state of mind.
Her denial thoughts leave us to not know any of her upcoming reactions. First, Phoenix shows she is experiencing some Denial hallucinations such as when she describes the little boy bringing her a piece of marble cake and when she reaches out to take it from his hand Welty explains, “But when she went to take it there was just her hand in the air. ” The dark setting of this story shows she may be feeling quite lonely and that is why she may have thought she saw a little boy. This little boy may have just been a past thought of her young grandson.
The Term Paper on Loved One Phoenix Grandson Welty
Critical Analysis Eudora Weltys A Worn Path depicts the journey of Phoenix Jackson, an elderly black woman. At first, this journey appears to not be for any apparent reason. Phoenix travels over hills and through the woods, enduring multiple hardships, encounters with disrespect, and moments of loneliness. By the end of the story, the reader realizes that Phoenixs trip does have a goal. She walks ...
Also, Welty wrote in her story that Phoenix later went through a “corn maze” when really there was no path at all, but it led her to a scarecrow that Phoenix thought was a ghost. She asked the “ghost” a few simple questions, but when she got no answer that is when she realized it was just a scarecrow, yet she still talked to him as if he were a real person and she says, “My senses is gone I too old. I the oldest people I ever know. Dance, old scarecrow” She said, “while I dancing with you. ”(Welty).
Next, Phoenix shows some different acts of denial when she comes about the scarecrow she seems as if she is a bit relieved when she realizes that it was not a ghost like she thought. We know she seems relieved because after seeing it was not a ghost Welty describes Phoenix’s face as, “Her face lighted”. When being relieved that the scarecrow was not a ghost, but then not being scared at all when the hunter later pointed his gun right at her face. She seems to not stick with just one sense in her personality Phoenix shows moments when she is aware of the truth and other when she’s in denial.
The scarecrow for instance could have also reminded her of her grandson in the sense that she thought it was a ghost and when the hunter pointed the gun to her face maybe she was not afraid because she knows that her grandson is not just ill, but he has already passed on so she misses him enough to not care if she would be shot to death and later be reunited with him in heaven. According to Frauds theory Psychoanalytical Criticism he argues that ‘we develop defenses: selective perception, selective memory, denial, displacement, projection, regression, fear of intimacy, and fear of death, among others.
Later, towards the ending of the story, Welty portrays Phoenix as being confused as well. As Phoenix is sitting in the doctor’s office she says nothing back to the nurse who is asking her questions, she just sits upright in her chair with a straight look on her face. The nurse asks a few questions, but one question really triggers Phoenix and she finally answers back. The nurse asked, “Tell us quickly about your grandson, and get it over. He isn’t dead, is he? ” and that is when Phoenix replies, “My grandson. It was my memory had left me. There I sat and forgot why I made my long trip.
The Essay on Phoenix Grandson Woman Love
"A Worn Path," written by Eudora Welty concerns the life of an elderly woman, Phoenix Jackson, and her enduring love for her chronically ill grandson. Her enduring love for her young grandson is what keeps her going. Her life is one full of amazement. She is frail, old, and encounters many struggles. Though she manages to overcome all the trials, along with her brief lapses of mentally wondering. ...
” The whole time in the doctor’s office she acts as if she is confused and has lost all parts to her memory. This also could be because she does not want to admit that her grandson has passed away, therefor Phoenix is in denial and does not even know what’s real or fake anymore and is in a state of confusion. “The Worn Path” by Eudora Welty is about an African American that uses her determination to head into town for Medicine for her grandson. This is where Jackson faces most of her obstacles during the journey, but she fears nothing because of the state of denial she is in.
Phoenix is showing signs of not knowing what’s going on in true reality compared to what she wants to be true, however this is where is think the denial comes into play. She’s in denial that her grandson is dead, and when she encounters the hunter, scarecrow that is the reason we get two different reactions because she is a state of denial that she doesn’t know what real anymore. Therefore, we as readers are left in a state questioning ourselves whether or not Phoenix’s grandson is dead or alive.
