A Worn Path by Eudora Welty

The story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty tells the account of Phoenix Jackson, an elderly African American woman who lived in the Mississippi. Her account was about her journey from her quiet rural life to town in order to get the medicine for her beloved grandson who, two years ago, accidentally swallowed lye. His injury did not fully heal, and from time to time, his throat would swell so much that it made him difficult to swallow and breathe. To some, the story might seem only very simple—it’s just an old lady going to the doctor to get her grandson’s medicine, nothing much to read, it’s boring, no climax at all. That may be true if we do not consider the rich symbolisms, themes, and other issues. This seemingly simple story tells more than just the trek of an old woman to acquire a medicine for her grandson, but of the great insights from a simple quiet rural life of an old woman who’s enveloped with and sense of responsibility toward her grandson, who might be the only person I her life and her life itself.
The story was written and first published in 1941 in Atlantic Weekly; thus, we can assume that the story happened in the same year. That same year, as we all know, the world entered into the World War II. Despite the worldwide clamor and conflict, Phoenix Jackson’s life was marked with peace and simplicity. She seemed not to care of the ongoing World War that was then happening; rather, her life seemed to revolve around her grandson whom, as we can see, she loved so much. The story also talks about poverty. The year 1941 was not only marked by the start of the Second World War but also of poverty that was a reality to many—particularly to blacks and to the people from the rural Southwest where Mississippi is located. We can also assume that, at her age, Phoenix Jackson might have been born in the age of American slavery of the blacks (Wetly par. 56). Another sign of poverty is how Phoenix Jackson was describe as wearing red rags on her hair and an apron made