A Worn Path: Fight for Racial EqualityIn "A Worn Path", a short story by Eudora Welty, the protagonist, an elderly black woman named Phoenix, slowly but surely makes his way along a "worn path" through the woods. During his journey, he encounters many obstacles such as a thorny bush and a hunter. He overcomes these obstacles and continues his travels. He finally reaches his destination, the doctor's office, where he gets medicine for his sick nephew at home. Many critics have speculated that this tale represents the love a grandmother shows for her grandson. Others say that this story represents life and death, where Phoenix represents an immortal figure. Dennis J. Sykes disagrees with other critics saying, "There is a parallel between the journey described and the plight of southern blacks after the Civil War" (Sykes). Ultimately, Eudora Welty demonstrates how black people have been persecuted in a white world. The title, “A Worn Path,” is not only the actual path that Phoenix takes throughout the story, but also represents the road that black people walked to achieve freedom. Slaves had to travel many paths to escape their owners, and the paths led to freedom far from their plantations. Many slaves escaped from plantations by walking all day and all night in miserable conditions just so they could reach freedom. The title is the first of many subtle symbols that Eudora Welty uses to demonstrate the difficulties blacks faced in achieving equality. Welty uses his main character, Phoenix, to portray people of color who represent the fight for freedom. When Phoenix is first described, she is wearing a “red rag” and a “dark striped” dress (Welty 212). The red rag represents......the center of the card......action. As Phoenix continues along his path, he encounters many obstacles that must be overcome. Sykes believes that “Phoenix [considers racial] conflicts are just stones in the road, obstacles in the way” (np). Eudora Welty writes this story to talk about the mistreatment of black people and to bring this problem to light. It uses subtle and obvious symbols to demonstrate how Black people have been treated throughout life and how many have considered obstacles in their life path just like pebbles to be passed on the road. Works Cited Sykes, Dennis J. “Welty's The Worn Path .” Explicator 56.3 (1998, Spring): 151-153. Literary Resource Center. Storm. Farragut High School. September 4, 2008 http://go.gale.group.comWelty, Eudora. “A consummate path”. Perrine's literature: structure, sound and meaning. Eds. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. Boston: Thomas Wadsworth, 2006. 212-219.
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