Transcript
Rebecca Christian
Professor Hargett
English 1123, Section 2
21 June 2018
Determination Through Conflicts in “A Worn Path”
Often people are determined to go through hardships to show their love and to make someone feel better. For example, in “A Worn Path” the protagonist is determined to make her grandson well again. In this story Phoenix Jackson travels on foot to town to get her grandson medicine for his throat. The way Jackson puts herself in dangerous situations shows her determination. The external conflict in Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” reveals the determination that the protagonist has.
Determination is shown through the conflict of the character’s poverty. The protagonist in this story is determined to get to town to get her grandson’s medication no matter the hardships she has to go through. The author points out that “she carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her” (Welty 1). It is obvious that Jackson is a poor woman by making a cane out of an umbrella. The fact that she is risking her life shows determination. During her journey, Jackson runs into an intimidating hunter who has dropped a nickel she desperately needs. Welty acknowledges “she stood erect, and the nickel in her apron pocket” (Welty 6). Though Jackson was terrified of the hunter, the determination she has to steal the nickel is powerful. Later when she arrives to pick up the medication, she is treated like a charity case. Rachel Lister, who currently teaches at the University of Durham, adds “the attendant gives Phoenix a nickel for Christmas and Phoenix places it in her palm alongside the nickel she took from the hunter” (2). Jackson wants this money to buy her grandson a paper windmill. Jackson is determined to give her grandson a Christmas present even if it means she must all of her money. In conclusion, Jackson is determined to get to town even though she does not have a dime to her name.
Furthermore, the character shows determination through the conflict of nature. The rough terrain to town is a difficult obstacle to get through, but Jackson manages to make it to town. Welty adds that it is “a bright frozen day in the early morning” (1). It is obvious it is difficult for an elderly woman to travel miles on frozen ground. The story describes that Jackson is wearing a long dress that she can not mess up because she can not afford another one. Welty notes that “before she got to the bottom of the hill a bush caught her dress” (2). The fact that Jackson keeps pushing through after her dress could possible rips shows determination. Rosemary Reisman who excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature adds “the author utilizes the conventions of the heroic journey to describe the adventures of a woman who is unaware of her own heroism” (1). The rough adventures that Jackson encounters proves that she is a hero through determination. Walking through nature in the freezing cold without much clothing to wear, shows just how much she is determined to get to town for her grandson.
Also the encounter by the white hunter shows determination of the character’s conflict. Jackson is an elderly black woman who should not be travelling a long journey alone. When Jackson approaches the hunter he says, “Now you go on home, Granny!” (Welty 5). The hunter is an intimidating man who should make someone turn the opposite direction. Jackson’s determination to not let the hunter bother her shows her determination. Jackson gets the hunter’s attention for help when she hears dogs fighting. Terry Heller, a literary critic, comments “though he helps her, he is also somewhat threatening” (2). Someone who is helpful but threatening could possibly lead to danger. Later when the hunter comes back from dealing with the dogs, he shoves a gun in Jackson’s face. Welty declares that the hunter “lifted his gun and pointed it at Phoenix” (6). The fact that Jackson does not turn around to go home after a gun is in her face shows she is determined no matter the conflict. The hunter gives her many reasons for her to go home, but the determination she has shows she is willing to go through exhausting conflicts to get what she wants.
The determination through hardships of the external conflict is shown by the protagonist in “A Worn Path.” Jackson puts herself on a dangerous journey to get her grandson medicine so she can survive. Nature, the white hunter, and being poor are major conflicts Jackson has to deal with. Jackson is a powerful black woman who is making it through obstacles because of her determination. People that are determined to do something for someone they love will be accomplished.
Works Cited
Heller, Terry. “A Worn Path.” Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition, January 2004, pp. 1-2. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=103331MSS247792400010 3&site=lrc-live.
Lister, Rachel. “Literary Contexts in Short Stories: Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path.” Literary Contexts in Short Stories Collections: Eudora Welty’s ‘A Worn Path’, July 2007, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=25960129&site=lrc-live.
Reisman, Rosemary M. Canfield. “A Worn Path.” Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition, September 2006, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct true&db=lfh&AN=103331MSA27199830001718&site=lrc-live.
Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path.” The Atlantic. 1941: 1-12. Web. 12 June 2018.
