A Worn Path by Eudora Welty - Essay Example

Full Dissecting ‘The Worn Path’ Eudora Welty’s short story en d “The Worn Path” is about an old woman d Phoenix Jackson whose travel to the city on bright frozen day of December was told in the narrative. The woman completed her journey for the purpose of getting her grandson the medicine he needed to sooth the soreness of his throat brought about by some lye he swallowed. In the story, it is revealed that the sick grandson had been in such state for three years and that they only had each other to cling for help.

Reading passively, the story seems to be just a narration of an ordinary day in the life of an old woman however, looking deeply into the symbolisms and details in the story, there are a lot of theories one could delve into. The title of the story for one attracts readers to analyze why it has been entitled so. As the story unfolds, it is understood that the travel on that day was not a first for Phoenix instead, it seemed like a regular trek she took as revealed by the nurse in the hospital she visited in the city.

Thus, it could be a description of the travel the old woman took from time to time, making her path a very familiar one. The hunter she met along the way assumed she was a hundred years old and her encounters with the scarecrow, the dog and the nurse in the hospital show that her mind was failing as she claimed it herself. Thus, walking the familiar path was like to her, doing routine chores, knowing where to rest, where to cross or where not to go to so that one would think that it was not a purposeful trip as the main character believed.

Her musings to herself pictures an old woman suffering from dementia and this idea is even more established when the final part of the story is pointed out. In earlier parts of the story, readers were informed that the old woman was left with an only grandson however, when she took the two nickels, she thought of buying his son a present, a little paper windmill. Surely, she would not have a four year old son yet she thought of buying him a paper windmill, fit for a child; showing the old woman has problems with her memory.

The worn path could also be referred to the circumstances that happened to the old woman that day, showing that such events happen daily in different lives with people of different status and race. Dishonesty, ridicule, goodness, help and giving are common ways in life that are encountered daily making it a worn path. Choosing a black woman as the main character, the author might have considered her to be a representation of centuries old prejudice colored people experienced in the hands of the Whites.

The treatment of the hunter towards her, making her an object of ridicule because of her color and age going to the city, thinking that she was just going to see Santa Claus, was a prejudgment of her objective in walking the long trail to civilization. It was an undermining statement that pictures the condescending treatment of the Whites to the Black that is not new to the generation of the author, nor this modern time. The Worn Path pictures various points to consider in analyzing the story that it scopes not only the title but various elements used in the story.

Looking at the title alone though, one could devise a lot of conclusions, showing possibilities of the symbolisms and meanings in the story. This reveals the wealth of information in the story.