Summary and Reaction of A Worn Path
Response Paper: Summary and Reaction
In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, an elderly woman faces racism, poverty, and demonstrates an amazing example of perseverance as she takes a long, strenuous journey to help her beloved grandson. Near the end of the Civil War, Phoenix Jackson, an old negro woman, follows a shabby pathway into town to retrieve medications for her young grandchild, who accidently swallowed lye a few years before. During her long, exhausting trip on foot, Jackson encounters and overcomes a plethora of obstacles. Jackson runs directly into a thorn bush and a wild dog causes her to trip and fall into a ditch along the trail. A hunter happens to be passing by and eyes her lying in the ditch. The man helped Jackson up and tried to convince her to go back home by saying, “That’s too far,” and, “You go on home, Granny!” However, Jackson was determined to keep going and told him, “I bound to go to town, Mister.” The hunter mocked Jackson by pointing his gun at her, but she managed to get away from the hunter’s stubborn grasp. Before the hunter leaves, Jackson watches a “flashing nickel fall out of the man’s pocket,” and she picked up “the piece of money with the grace and care.” Jackson finally gets to town and the doctors question the health of her young grandson. She assures the doctors that, “he not dead, he just the same.” The nurse gave Jackson a small bottle of medicine and she “carefully put it into her pocket.” Jackson remembers the nickel in her pocket and despite the financial struggles she faced, she chose to purchase a “little windmill they sells, made out of paper,” to surprise her grandson when she returned home.
The main concepts this short story depicts is perseverance and strength in hardship. Phoenix Jackson displays bold courage, fortitude, and persistence as she faces the extensive trail into town. She comes across a strong hunter which could be highly dangerous as the setting is directly at the end of the Civil War. Jackson
In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, an elderly woman faces racism, poverty, and demonstrates an amazing example of perseverance as she takes a long, strenuous journey to help her beloved grandson. Near the end of the Civil War, Phoenix Jackson, an old negro woman, follows a shabby pathway into town to retrieve medications for her young grandchild, who accidently swallowed lye a few years before. During her long, exhausting trip on foot, Jackson encounters and overcomes a plethora of obstacles. Jackson runs directly into a thorn bush and a wild dog causes her to trip and fall into a ditch along the trail. A hunter happens to be passing by and eyes her lying in the ditch. The man helped Jackson up and tried to convince her to go back home by saying, “That’s too far,” and, “You go on home, Granny!” However, Jackson was determined to keep going and told him, “I bound to go to town, Mister.” The hunter mocked Jackson by pointing his gun at her, but she managed to get away from the hunter’s stubborn grasp. Before the hunter leaves, Jackson watches a “flashing nickel fall out of the man’s pocket,” and she picked up “the piece of money with the grace and care.” Jackson finally gets to town and the doctors question the health of her young grandson. She assures the doctors that, “he not dead, he just the same.” The nurse gave Jackson a small bottle of medicine and she “carefully put it into her pocket.” Jackson remembers the nickel in her pocket and despite the financial struggles she faced, she chose to purchase a “little windmill they sells, made out of paper,” to surprise her grandson when she returned home.
The main concepts this short story depicts is perseverance and strength in hardship. Phoenix Jackson displays bold courage, fortitude, and persistence as she faces the extensive trail into town. She comes across a strong hunter which could be highly dangerous as the setting is directly at the end of the Civil War. Jackson