What happens in A Worn Path?
On a cold December day, an elderly woman named Phoenix Jackson makes her way along a remote path, narrating the journey to herself as she goes. She traverses different kinds of terrain—hills, forests, swamps, and fields—that test the strength and endurance of her old body.
What does the title A Worn Path represent?
No tricks or hidden meaning in “A Worn Path.” In the story, Phoenix walks along a path to town that she has walked many times before. That’s right—it’s a worn path. No secret code meaning, no little-known allusions or other literary wizardry.
What is wrong with Phoenix’s grandson in A Worn Path?
The nurse and Phoenix discuss what is wrong with the boy: He has a painful throat from swallowing lye approximately two or three years ago. Phoenix says the symptoms flare up regularly. The nurse gives Phoenix the medicine as a charity case. As Phoenix leaves the clinic, the attendant gives her a nickel.
What is the significance of Phoenix name in A Worn Path?
That Phoenix shares a name with such a creature reflects her indefatigable nature, her constant striving towards her goal, as well as her unflagging optimism and high spirits. The name also suggests Phoenix’s longevity: though the story takes place in 1941, she was already too old in 1865 to go to school.
What three symbols are A Worn Path?
A Worn Path Symbols
- Phoenix. There is no question that Welty knew what she was doing when she chose to name the main character of “A Worn Path” Phoenix Jackson.
- The Worn Path. The story can be thought of as a kind of road trip.
- The Scarecrow.
- The Paper Windmill.
How is Phoenix able to remember the way to the doctor’s office?
Midterm Exam Study Sheet
| A | B |
|---|---|
| How is Phoenix able to remember the way to the doctor’s office? | She is able to find her way with the help of a large black dog |
| When Phoenix arrives at the doctor’s office, what does the attendant think? | She supposes that Phoenix is a “charity case.” |
What does the barbed wire symbolize in A Worn Path?
This could be because barbed wire is used to keep people from running away. The withered cotton fields represent what her life used to be. She was a slave and then the cotton grew, but because slavery was abolished the fields have withered. The scarecrow represents aging.
What is the irony in A Worn Path?
The overarching irony “A Worn Path” is the allusion to mythic quests and heroism in the story of a simple, uneducated, old black woman just walking to get her grandson’s medicine. Undercutting the irony is the story’s sincere affirmation that anyone can be a hero in the right circumstances.
What does Phoenix imagine she sees in a worn path?
She hallucinates a boy giving her a cake and thinking that the scarcrow is a ghost. What does Pheonix do to distract the hunter from the nickel he has dropped?
What is Phoenix Jackson’s goal for her journey?
In A Worn Path an older woman by the name of Phoenix Jackson takes a long road full of hardships to achieve a goal, which is to get medicine for her grandson.
What did Phoenix learn in A Worn Path?
In “A Worn Path” we learn of the hardships Jackson faces on her weekly journey for medicine to sooth the pain of her grandson. Welty conveys this these hardships by giving the reader insight into the physical health, the mental health, and the socio-economic status of Jackson.