A Worn Path: Short Story

On the surface Eudora Welty' s short story, “A Worn Path", is an account of an old black woman's journey from Old Natchez Trace to Natchez, Mississippi. In fact, some readers may perceive Old Phoenix’s journey and only having ups and downs. However, a second level of interpretation indicates a powerful statement of how death and rebirth can be found in her hardship. This paper will be concerned with three allusions that substantiate the theme of death and rebirth: references to the Phoenix myth from Egyptian mythology, references to slavery, and references to the twelve labors of Hercules. In this way, Old Phoenix is not just another story, but one the readers can learn from.
The use of the name “Phoenix” for the main character establishes the story’s connection to the underlying theme of death and rebirth. Phoenix is also the name of a mythological bird that was sacred to the sun god in ancient Egypt. Every 500 years, the bird creates a funeral pyre of its own nest and then rises from the ashes. The character of Phoenix embodies the myth of the phoenix spiritually. Phoenix Jackson resembles the bird that has “brilliant scarlet and gold plumage” in Welty’s own vivid description of her. She writes that Phoenix has “a golden color ran underneath [her skin] and the two knobs of her cheeks were illumined by a yellow burning under dark…” (Welty 1). The woman’s allusion to the phoenix is also established through frequent allusions to birds. She writes of pinecones that drop “as light as feathers” (1). She compares the way Old Phoenix picks up a nickel to “lifting an egg from under a sitting hen” (6). Also, as Old Phoenix steals the nickel, a bird flies by and she experiences this as a symbol of God’s presence. Phoenix’s life is one of many obstacles and struggles. A closer look at her life shows that the story brings to light the deeper meaning of death and rebirth. Her struggles are similar to the struggles of slaves in the Civil War. Welty incorporates slavery in how she describes Phoenix’s actions. While we watch her walk through the woods, we are also privy to her inner thoughts about her physical restraints while making her way up a hill, “Seem like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far” (Welty 1). The way Phoenix talks to herself throughout her journey expresses similarities in chants the slaves would sing during the day (Butterworth 3). Pictures of slaves in confinement are seen when Phoenix’s dress is caught in a bush. While talking to the bush, Phoenix says, “Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir. Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush” (Welty 2). This is parallel to the picture of slaves and their owners. Slave owners are the thorns not wanting to free their slaves, and from the outside looking in during Civil War times, it looked like nothing but hired help. Even after the signing at the Appomattox courthouse, African Americans still endured hardships. Freedom was not seen at the time but it was in the future. Phoenix portrays this when she encounters the white hunter. Although she is disrespected she keeps on in her journey to achieve what she started out to do. Welty’s theme of death and rebirth can also be portrayed through the twelve labors of Hercules. He was sentenced to do twelve labors by another Greek god in order to obtain his freedom again. Hercules was sent to Hades to bring up the hellhound (12 Labors 2). Welty’s words of “Deep, deep the road went down between the high green-colored banks. Overhead the live-oaks met, and it was dark as a cave” suggest that Phoenix herself is entering Hades (Welty 4). Hercules also implies trickery on his eleventh labor with the nymphs, Hesperides. He asks Atlas, who was condemned to holding up the earth for eternity, to aid him on this task. Hercules held the earth for Atlas as he went to slay the dragon and retrieved the apples for Hercules. Hercules tricked Atlas by asking him to hold the earth long enough for him to get cushion for his shoulder, and Atlas happily did. As he was handing the earth to Atlas, Hercules took the apples and never came back (12 Labors 2). This trickery is parallel to Phoenix and the hunter. As she saw a nickel fall out of the hunter’s pocket, she quickly got his dog to run away and attack another dog. At the sight of this, the hunter took off to retrieve his dog. Phoenix was then allowed to pick up the nickel and carry on with her journey.
“A Worn Path” is a touching story of will power. The relevant story of love and perseverance transcends a deeper message relating to death and rebirth. Welty weaves in allusions such as the myth of the phoenix, slavery, and Hercules to convey her story of Old Phoenix’s journey of death and rebirth.