Phoenix Jackson Character Analysis Essay

A worn path is a short story that features the main character Phoenix Jackson. Her character alludes to a mythical bird that consumed itself in fire after five hundred years and rose renewed from it’s ashes. Phoenix is a very old woman who has a dying grandson that is terminally ill. Her objective is to travel through the woods and retrieve medicine for her ill son. She begins the long journey to town on “A bright frozen day in the early morning”(Welty 462). in december. The story seems to indicate that she has take this path before and now she must take it again. The author gives great detail of her appearance she is described as a small negro woman and also elderly and near the end of her life. Phoenix Jackson is a round and static character that goes through many changes as she walks through the pine trees,crosses the stream and while sitting at the doctor's office.

She’s a round character because when phoenix goes out for her journey early in the morning, she is surrounded by pine trees that overcame her. She seems to show extreme determination as she goes through the trail. She walks with such quickness as she goes along the trail. She has
to return home before the sun sets to bring to bring the medicine to her ill son. She seems to know the trail really well and walks with confidence along the way. She often stops to talk to the animals even going as far as telling them to stay out of the way of her path. She says to the foxes “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons, and wild animals!Keep out from under these feet, little bob-whites .Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Don't let none of those come running my direction. I got a long way.(461)

Secondly she is a static character because she changes multiple times as she progresses through the trail. She must walk up and down hills which the story indicates that she has done over and over but this time that she decides to take the trail it seems a little harder to her. Along the way of her trip her trip is halted by a wild dog and a hunter. Phoenix falls into a ditch and the hunter comes in the way to get her out so she could avoid the dog. The hunter is a static character and he is in the way of her goal because he attempts to walk her up the hill. For example “I know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going to town to see santa clause.”(464)While they are going up the hill the hunter seems to have a racist attitude towards her that she seems to ignore. Since it is during that time and place his racist attitude doesn’t phase her at all. The hunter then gives her a nickel this nickel will be very important to her later on in the story.Afterwards she makes it to the doctor's office which she receives the same racist attitudes like the one she received from the hunter. Because of her old age and her being tired from the walk on the trail she soon forgets why she is at the doctor's office. The Nurses seem to notice her and began to tell her to stop wasting her time at this moment phoenix begins to remember why she was there. Phoenix then asks for the medicine that she needs for her son she receives it afterwards one of the nurses gives her a nickel since it is Christmas time she is happy because she will be able to buy her son a Christmas present. She will use the nickel given to her by the hunter and the nurse so she could buy her son a gold ring. She is very happy because she is able to get her grandson something for Christmas.

Phoenix Jackson is the main character of “A worn path” she is a round and static character.
She goes through many changes throughout the story and goes through many obstacles and seems to be a very well development through the story. She is set to go on a journey to go get medicine for her ill son and she meets other characters and animals along the way characters such as the hunter and the nurses. The hunter is the antagonist and a static character he doesn’t want change he doesn’t want phoenix to reach her goal as indicated in her story. Due to her old age she seems to be forgetful and very fatigues once she arrived at the nurse's office she forgets what she needs to do. The title of this story is symbolic because her path is extremely tough and rigid and towards the end we can see that her mood changes
drastically.