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Phoenix Jackson in A Worn Path by Eudora Welty

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"A Worn Path," by Eudora Welty, is the story of Phoenix Jackson, an elderly woman who undergoes a journey which leads her to a nearby town. To most, this journey would seem simple and straightforward. Although, for Phoenix, it seems that this journey that she takes often into town, takes a physical and mental toll on her. As to why she keeps on taking these trips into town, it's because of her ill stricken grandson. In a synapsis, Phoenix goes through certain obstacles; climbs a hill, make her way through some woods, climbed through a fence, and crossed a stream by walking on a fallen log over the water. Soon after she falls into a ditch, helpless, a hunter strolls by and rescues her. Many would say that yes, Phoenix underwent a feat of a challenges to go into town, but any elderly would have suffered the same hardships that she did. Welty did not plaster a sense of heroism at all, even when she went into the pharmacy; there was no presence of strength or authority. This trip, if anything, could be symbolic to such cliches' such as a hero's quest. The woods, the obstacles, the feeling Welty paints the story in, could all contribute to Phoenix's' character. Firmly, she still is not a hero, and the only battle she is facing is between her and the path that she is on. The battle itself is only rough because of her circumstances of age. Phoenix is weak, and frail, she can't even support herself without her thin cane. It's admirable what she does for her grandson, but the notion of it being heroic needs to be dismissed. Realistically it only shows that Phoenix is persistent and stubborn. She needs to learn to take care of herself and not strain her body so much. This is just one of looking at it, my way. Stated countless of times, Phoenix as a character portrayed by Welty is not a hero in the truest sense of the word. Yet let's take step back and view Phoenix from the grandson's point of view. Even though Welty did not write extensively ab

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