Grandmother Devotion Essay, Research Paper
“A Worn Path,” written by Eudora Welty concerns the life of an elderly woman,
Phoenix Jackson, and her enduring love for her chronically ill grandson. Her
enduring love for her young grandson is what keeps her going. Her life is one
full of amazement. She is frail, old, and encounters many struggles. Though
she manages to overcome all the trials, along with her brief lapses of
mentally wondering. When she comes to her senses she realizes that she needs
to be on her way and quickly moves on.
Amazingly, old Phoenix can go about her journey nearly without her sight. She
depends solely on the steps of her feet for direction. She knows well enough
to change her habits and pull herself together upon entering the big city.
She is always polite and courteous to all the town’s people. For a woman of
her age, she manages to pull herself through all the tangles she gets herself
into. She keeps her faith, by enduring to the end. She is a survivor through
the love she has for her grandson. Old Phoenix Lets nothing tragic faze her.
Nothing frightens Phoenix, not even a scarecrow in the dark of the woods.
Walking across a log with her eyes closed are some of the daring things she
does. A hunter along the way approaches her and tries to use his gun to
undermine her. He is impolite to her by referring to her as granny. The
hunter unknowingly looses a nickel, then immediately old Phoenix devises a
scheme to scrape up the shinny coin. She has already determined in her heart
what she will purchase with this windfall. Phoenix would rather not purchase
something of need. She has attained some additional funds along her journey.
With these additional funds, she has in mind to return with a gift for her
grandson, who is ill and all alone back home.
Phoenix is a poor, uneducated old woman. She is a positive and clever person.
Old Phoenix can entertain herself with nature alone. She has an imagination
all her own. Once Phoenix rested and realized she was half finished with her
journey, it was like a fresh wind to her. She, always being polite and
courteous, reminds others that she is just an old woman. Phoenix is
remarkable, able to make continual journeys throughout the years. To Phoenix,
it is as if the only two in the world are her grandson and herself.
Old Phoenix is more than what meets the eye. She has strength, motivated by
her determination. She is driven by the love she has for her grandson. Her
existence in life is that of a poor, black, uneducated, rural woman. She is
an incredible person in all she does, and she attains what is needs for
survival.