Eudora Welty is considered one of the most sophisticated prose writers of the US of the 20th century. Her stories began to be published in the 1940s and immediately marked the emergence of a new and genuinely distinctive voice in literature. Moreover, the author gained a plethora of medals, honorary titles at Harvard and Cambridge, Pulitzer, and the Order of the Legion of Honor. A Worn Path is one of Eudora’s most remarkable and moving short stories.
The essence of kindness and love that she embodied in Phoenix Jackson, protagonist, will be shown throughout a monologue of this character. Furthermore, the extent to which Eudora’s writings affected society will also be discussed.
For Welty, human relations were the most crucial subject not only in literature but also in life. She was truly interested in people and welcomed any relationship. Hence, she founded her tales not on her subjective experience, but on the others one, unlike the vast majority of writers of the 20th century. That is why there is such a remarkable variety in the plots and characters in her works. Then, “Eudora hated the destructiveness … of war, but she revered the heroism of those who fought against fascism and for an open society” (Marrs, 85). She integrated her big ideas of peace, love, and wisdom into her works. Therefore, keeping in mind that Eudora was a recognized author both among critics and readers, her tales were meant to affect people to a great extent beneficially.
Monologue on Phoenix Jackson
A Worn Path is about a journey of elderly and frail Phoenix Jackson, who has an unbreakable spirit. She is a grandmother who makes her way to a city to get medicine for her grandson, who accidentally poisoned himself with lye. During her path, Phoenix has to overcome many obstacles – swamps, forests, tricks of the eye, animals, and unfriendly strangers. Moreover, a noticeable and significant feature of A Worn Path is that Phoenix narrates the way to herself as she goes.
The protagonist has traits of a truly strong, persuasive, and resourceful person, which is evident throughout the tale. She is ready to do anything to help her grandson to get better. Significantly, Phoenix does not take a step back even when the hunter points the gun at her and tells her to go home. It might seem that she compensates for the weakness of her body by the strength and tenacity of her spirit.
Another remarkable Jackson’s trait is a great sense of humor – she laughs at difficult situations she is being involved during the journey and talks to animals and asks them to move out of her path. Therefore, the guiding values of Phoenix might make the reader admire her. Jackson’s dedication to the family comes from kindness and wisdom gained from the life experience. All of her actions in this exciting and sophisticated story are determined by love for her grandson. Thus, it is the central theme of the story that is visible in every word that Phoenix says and the emotion she expresses.
It seems reasonable to assume that Eudora Welty had a high impact on the society of her time. What is more, her legacy as an author might affect a plethora of future generations. Her character from A Worn Path, Phoenix Jackson, may give the reader a lesson – it is vital to care about a family and help its members whatever it takes. Phoenix’s traits and guiding values are determined by love, wisdom, and kindness, which gives the story such a touching and exciting tone.
Work Cited
Marrs, Suzanne. Eudora Welty: A Biography. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.