Short Story: A Worn Path - Research Paper Example

?Full A Worn Path is a short story about an old woman who travels far, on foot, only to get some medicine for his grandson. Although the travel may not be a trouble for most people, for the old woman during her age, it was a great task, as evidenced by what she goes through along the way. With dementia disturbing her mind, she had episodes of dream-like periods and forgetfulness which could have endangered her life. Moreover, her travel was made more difficult by the fact that she was already old and has difficulty moving. For instance, when she laid down to rest, she would not have been able to get up and continue with her errand if a hunter did not pass by, who helped her get up on her feet. Despite such difficulties, the old woman showed no intention of abandoning her mission. Perseverance for a loved one is the theme of the story and this is shown in the character of the protagonist. Eudora Welty, the well-acclaimed author of the short story is known for her works to reflect her love for folktales, legends and the literature of oral tradition (Rosenberg, 690). This is important information that needs to be pointed out because it is of great help to understanding her stories. This will be explained further as we try to analyze the short story. Moreover, as applicable to most writers, Welty’s characters reflect her compassion and respect for people and she explores through them what is universal in humanity exposing the mystery that is an inherent part of each individual’s life (690). The author reveals that her inspiration in writing A Worn Path hit her when she observed an old woman who was slowly crossing a distant field whom she reckoned was on an errand and that which was not for her self. In trying to understand fully well a story, reading would not be enough rather includes a lot of meditation and extensive reading. It is always helpful to learn about the author because somehow, such information would reveal bits and pieces of the story which are important and that would help clarify the symbolisms and meanings the author intended to present. For instance, it is known that Welty once worked as a photographer and therefore was given the chance to observe several cultures. This is one of the influencing factors that gave her ideas for her stories and A Worn Path is one of them. In photography, she claims that there is a function of deliberate double exposure and in congruence to literature there are repetitions or reiterations that function in a similar fashion (Baym, 2324) which the short story mentioned earlier reflects. Such repetitions in Welty’s story is not meant to bore the readers but rather give a more meaningful and clearer view of what she is trying to portray. For instance, in a brilliant manner, Welty presents different obstacles to the protagonist as she finds her way to the city, and even when she arrived at her destination. The obstacles may not be the same but they all presented some difficulty to the old woman which she had to overcome. The problems are reiterations of trials, troubles and challenges. “By making us pay close attention to who is speaking and the implications of that speech, she (Welty) makes us active readers, playfully engaged in a typically complicated scene” (Baym, 2324). That force which makes readers become engaged in the story does not only leave a memory in the readers’ minds about the events of the story but it somehow challenges them to comprehend more deeply the meanings behind the story. The story is written in the third person limited point of view, from the perspective of the main character (Arp & Johnson, 240) which was often revealed through her spoken words and actions. The story unfolds and is understood through how the old woman responds to her surroundings and circumstances. It follows the path of the protagonist so that readers are brought to where the main character goes. Since the storyteller’s point of view is limited, the readers also are blinded about what have not been seen and told by the narrator. For instance, when the main character, Phoenix Jackson asked the hunter to ‘sic’ the ‘big black dog’, the following scene reveals what she was hearing and doing. Although it was mentioned that the old woman “heard the dogs fighting, the man running and throwing sticks and even heard a gunshot” (316), readers cannot ‘see’ those characters just like Phoenix. Understanding figures and symbols are equally important in analyzing a story as understanding the narrator’s point of view. “Figures and symbols are images used in a particular way to explore the less known through the known (Bocker, Reninger, Bratton & Leggett, 377). This would probably make readers understand more fully what is expressed behind the symbols and figures than they would if the narration were simply literal. In trying to understand the symbolisms, one must scrutinize the text well because as Arp and Johnson say, there is a “great danger facing readers of a tendency to run wild- to find symbols everywhere and to run into the details of a story all sorts of fanciful meanings not legitimately supported by it” (295). One of the safest ways of interpreting a literary work is researching about the author and the story as mentioned earlier. Moreover, research could be extended to commentaries and articles that are related to the work being analyzed as this paper based its analysis. Names in stories usually reveal something about the characters. For instance, Phoenix, although a popular name among the Blacks during the era the story was written, was chosen to portray the character of the protagonist similar to that of a phoenix. A phoenix in Egyptian mythology is a bird that consumed itself by fire after five hundred years, but then rose from its own ashes (Arp & Johnson, 292). (This is an example of what was mentioned earlier, that the author shows her fondness about mythology in her own works.) Such attributes of being put in danger because of her passion and, being able to rise from such dangers, defines the protagonist. Old age could also be spelled out by the Phoenix name. A phoenix also represents a person of particular excellence, who is able to renew her self and endure, all of which are pertinent in Phoenix’s character (Arp & Johnson, 292). The old woman, despite the troubles she had been through in her journey, was able to reach her objectives. She did not let her physical conditions limit what she can do but through her passion and love for her grandson, she was driven to accomplish what she intended to do. The symbolism of the bird in the protagonist’s character is strengthened and affirmed by the repetition of occurrences of birds or sounds pertaining to birds in the story. First, Phoenix’s tapping of her cane sounded like “the chirping of a solitary bird”, then there were the little bobwhites, then the mourning dove and the buzzard (Arp & Johnson, 293). Another thing that she encounters is the scarecrow, something meant to scare away birds. Phoenix identifies herself with these characters and this makes an impression about what Welty was trying to reiterate and confirm in her symbolism about the old woman. The sound of her cane is a simile of the chirping of a solitary little bird which in turn is a metaphor for her. Phoenix is a solitary little bird going about her business in the midst of the pinewoods. The little bobwhites which she warns to stay away from her path or they would accidentally be crushed could also be an allusion to Phoenix who, like any human being is in danger of such threat maybe not literally but figuratively. The mourning dove in the hollow is just like the old woman, hurting deep inside because of her grandson, the very reason why she was taking the sacrifice of journeying far only to get his medicine. Like the mourning dove, she is not yet late for her travel because the sun was still up, signifying that it could have been towards high noon. A buzzard was sitting on big dead trees. A vulture signifies death and this is just one of the dangers Phoenix met along the way as she journeyed to the city for the precious medicines. However, how she responds to the bird portrays how she responds to her life situation. She recognizes the bird- the danger, nevertheless, she dismisses it with just a few words and continues with her travel. The scarecrow at first appeared to Phoenix like a man but when it did not speak, she thought it to be a ghost and she got scared. Being a bird, she has to be scared by the scarecrow so in such an ingenious manner, Welty came up with the idea of her main character thinking the scarecrow was a ghost. When she realized it was just a scarecrow, she danced with it. Although phoenix is always compared to a bird, one must bear in mind that she is a person who simply have the attributes of birds and so whatever dangers a bird faces, those were also encountered in her journey. In addition to such trouble, when she met the hunter, although he helped her along the process, he still posed as a danger to the woman. The hunter pointed his gun at her and asked her if the gun did not scare her to which she answered that she had seen plenty closer by. The man who helped her was a hunter and as a bird, she could be the hunted. Figuratively, this could mean that sometimes, the help a person extends to another is not a guarantee that such person is not dangerous. The last bird that the woman encounters is one that flew by as she stood up after getting the coin dropped by the hunter. She then thinks about it as a reminder of God who has been watching her all the time even when she stole the coin. “Her interpretation links bird-life to faith and morality. What birds know and do is to her an intimation of God’s commandments and love” (Arp & Johnson, 294). As Phoenix looks up to the bird that flew by, she was reminded of God and this made her remember her morality. In any event that one commits mistake and hurt the feelings of the righteous God, there will always be a means for us to be reminded and reconcile ourselves to goodness. There may not have been a prayer uttered or forgiveness that was asked by Phoenix however, how she acted is a clear message to the readers on how they should respond in similar circumstances. When a mistake is committed, it is not made right by dwelling in it and whipping one’s self rather, there comes the realization that something is wrong and therefore, something has to be done. It may not be an act of paying those whom one has wronged but it could be an act of being good to others. Phoenix, realized her wrong but she did not return the coin but she did not stay there as well and reprimand herself. Rather, she went on her journey and never faltered in doing the right thing that she first aimed to do. Another symbolism that strengthens the analysis above is the way Phoenix is dressed. Her head was tied in a red rag and she “wore a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops. As Egyptian mythology usually represents the phoenix in flaming red, the old woman was dressed in red. Such color usually represents passion and love, the values Phoenix has for her grandson. In concentrating on her main character, Welty is able to give a clear definition of Phoenix which could be her objective and message to he readers. With such analysis, it could be said the reiteration of the character of Phoenix is the author’s attempt to draw the readers to her and emulate such strength, perseverance, passion and selfless love. Phoenix Jackson is not just a name that was randomly picked by the author rather has been carefully considered to explore all the characteristics of the protagonist. In addition to her first name, Jackson is also a symbolical name. Historically, around the time the story was written, “Esophageal injuries from swallowing the caustic chemical known as lye occurred frequently among children, especially in rural areas like the one from which Phoenix begins her journey (Stang). The grandson of Phoenix is a victim of lye poisoning. This kind of poisoning was common among the Blacks and children of farmers because of illiteracy, that they did not know the dangers of the product when accidentally swallowed by children. The lye causes constriction of the esophagus leading the victims unable to eat and drink. This is the case of the Phoenix’s grandson, the reason why she took the trip to the city to get the much needed medicine. There was a certain Dr. Chevalier Jackson who was a laryngologist, frequently faced with the problems of lye poisoning victims he understood fully well how dangerous lye is so that he became the voice for the illiterate users. Aside from curing the victims and educating the illiterates on how to handle lye, Dr. Jackson also fought to have the commonly used lye products in households to have some warning prints on the containers. As a result, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Federal Caustic Poison Act into law in 1927 which required all manufacturers to put poison warning labels on all lye packages. This, he did not because of what he could benefit from such project but because of his love and concern towards his patients. In fact, Jackson spent his own money on his self-initiated journey (Stang). In relation to A Worn Path, Phoenix was given the same last name as the real-life hero. It could be said that the last name is an allusion to Dr. Jackson whose heart and passion was no different from that of Phoenix’s whose mission was to save a dying child through her own efforts regardless of the cost. As the first name reveals the protagonist’s characteristics similar to a bird, the last name seems to confirm that Phoenix also has humane attributes. The main character may have the qualities of a bird but she also has the qualities of a human being which are more important as the last name of a person is more important as his/her first name. Like Dr. Jackson, Phoenix cared for a lye poisoning victim and knew the difficulties they go through. Like the good doctor, the aim of the old woman was to get hold of the medicine that would soothe her grandson’s pains. Another symbolism in the story is Phoenix’s dream of a little boy bringing her a plate with a slice of marble cake, a delicacy that displays a perfect mixing of light and dark (Arp & Johnson, 295), but when she stretched her hand to take it, her illusion disappeared. This could be symbolic of the dream of the mixing of Whites and Blacks, with the Negroes enjoying equal rights as their white-complexioned counterparts did. During the 1940’s, Blacks were still considered not just slaves but things that the Whites can buy and own. Being given the chance to have equal rights with the White Americans would really be like the sweet marble-cake but like her dream, that chance is but a dream. Phoenix was deprived of the marble-cake and during the time the story was published, her people were denied the opportunity to live in a society where fairness and equality was the name of the game. In conclusion, discussing why the story was entitled A Worn Path would bring a clearer understanding of the general view of the characters, symbols and figures. The story literally mentions the path that Phoenix took and her encounters on that path were followed as she went to the city. However, it is not really the path that Phoenix took that the author wants her readers to see rather, the life of the woman that she lived with her grandson. Welty is trying to draw her readers’ attention to that path and through the story tell them, “Hey, here is a path that is worn. Do something about it.” Why is the path worn? It is because there are many people who have travelled that path and there are still a lot of people there. Sometimes they meet smaller birds whom they may hurt along the way and all they can do is warn them. There are also dangers that might befall them but they also have to continue in their journey. They may die along the path or get hurt by the people they think would be harmless. Still, that road will always be busy no matter what danger it has. This is because we, people do not join the Phoenixes or the Jacksons but leave them alone in their quests. As the hunter went the opposite way, we sometimes could be like him when we meet people with good intentions, with the heart for a charitable task. We laugh at them, and misunderstand their intentions. As the hunter surmised that Phoenix was going to the city to see Santa Claus, we so many times misinterpret people with good intentions as just finding something to do to entertain themselves. The path is won, it needs repair, and it needs attention. References Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, sound and Sense, 8th Edition. Massachusetts, USA: Heinle and Heinle Thomas Learning, 2002. Print. Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology: American Literature, 7th Edition. Ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. Print. Bocker, K. L. Knicker, H. Willard Reninger, Edward W. Bratton and B. J. Leggett. Interpreting Literature, 7th Edition. USA: CBS College Publishing. 1985. Stang, Melissa Deakins. Parting the Curtain on Lye Poisoning in “A Worn Path”. Eudora Welty Review. Volume 1. Melissa Deakins Stang and Georgia State University. 2009. July 12, 2012. . Read More