What Is Phoenix's Mission In A Worn Path

There were at least three moments when Phoenix might have abandoned her mission in “ A Worn Path”, written by author Eudora Welty, in 1940. They are when she sat down to rest at the bank, after she crossed the log, another is when she came across the scarecrow in the cornfield and started dancing with it, and the third time is when was “meditating and not ready, and when a black dog came upon her”(Welty,1940). While Phoenix sat on the river bank, she was recovering from the task of crossing a log, that she feared. However, she started to daydream although, “she did not dare to close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it, she spoke to him”(Welty, 1940). She went to take the cake, but realized
While she walked across the corn field, she saw a man that was “tall, black, and skinny”(Welty,1940). It turned out to be a scarecrow, that made her believe that “my senses is gone, and she is too old”(Welty,1940). Phoenix started to dance with the scarecrow as she was delighted to find that all he was. Phoenix realized she was off-path again and started back on her journey. The third moment is when,”she was meditating, and not ready, and when a black dog came at her. She hit him a little with her cane, and over Phoenix went in a ditch”(Welty,1940). WHile she laid in the ditch, her senses drifted away and a dream visited her”(Welty,1940). This is when she noticed that,”the black dog was in the weeds to stall her off”(Welty,1940), from her intended mission, but he turned out to be friendly. Phoenix’s actions in this story is related to a phoenix bird. The phoenix bird grew to be very old and was set itself on fire, only to recover and emerged as a younger new phoenix(Encyclopaedia Britannica,2017). “Phoenix Jackson’s first name links her to the Egyptian myth of the bird that renews itself periodically from it’s own ashes. This is associated with Phoenix Jackson’s annual journey to Natchez, Mississippi”