"A Worn Path"

“A Worn Path,” by Eudora Welty is an immaculately written short story of an old woman’s journey down a cold winter path to aid her grandson by getting him a bottle of medicine. I believe the main theme of this story to be about the plight and struggle of the black race. It is first important to recognize this story takes place throughout America’s segregation years, as Old Phoenix states she was alive at the time of “the Surrender”(454), which according to the sub-text refers to the end of the Civil War. There is no question that Phoenix has been through many trials in her life as “her eyes were blue with age” (449). The color blue refers to spirit, intellect, truth and transparency, according to umich.edu. Also her name suggests perhaps that she symbolizes many generations of her race, since the phoenix is a mythical bird that supposedly lives eternally.
Along her path, Phoenix encounters multiple antagonists. The first is a thorny bush which “never want to let folks pass,” (450). This can be compared to slave traders, refusing to let slaves escape their imprisonment. As she progresses through fields she states that she “heard of nary death close by,” (451) and even when a gun is held to her face she does not fear it. Another struggle comes in the form of the nurse at the doctor’s office who is not familiar with Phoenix and assumes her for “a charity case,” (453) which must have been a common stereotype in that era.
Throughout the entire story Phoenix encounters adversity and overcomes. She signifies many worn generations that had to fight for everything because at that time they had no rights. Also, true to her name, she signifies a rebirth, or new way of life, a sign of things to come for her people.