A worn path analysis
A Mortal Phoenix
During the 1930s, many African Americans in the South lives in the segregation, suffers poverty, lack of education and low social statuses. Living in such society, Mrs. Phoenix – the protagonist of the story “a Worn Path” and an African American – stands out as a phoenix that rises from its dust. Her vital physical and social “weaknesses” do not strike her down but instead highlights her persistence, dignity, sympathy and her selfless love to her grandson. She is, however, a mortal phoenix: she suffers a downfall, which is, ironically, not due to her incapacity to overcome her disadvantages but is because of the long-rooted biases of her society.
Mrs. Phoenix has many physical disadvantages that seriously hinder her life. Senility weakens her physical health. She is “very old and small”, so she has to totally relies her balance on a thin cane and moves “a little from side to side in her steps” (1). During the trip, she always feels like her feet are chained. Her back is so rigid she cannot bend down to tie her shoe, and due to her extremely blurred eyesight, she takes tremendous time and efforts to unravel her dress caught by a thorny bush. Towards these disadvantages, Mrs. Phoenix is very fragile, yet very strong-willed and persistent. She is fragile because without constantly talking aloud to herself, she would feel the pain of senility after walking an extremely long road. Alone in the forest, she would feel so lonely that she hallucinates a boy appearing out of nowhere and giving her cupcakes that warm her heart. At the same time, Mrs. Phoenix is strong-willed and unyielding. Her sayings are delightful, encouraging and poetic: “Up through pines, now down through oaks” (9), “walk pretty, this is the easy place” (22), “now comes the trial” (13). Supporting her “singings” are her actions, such as marching through a log and crying aloud, which proves that she knows her fragility and feels the vivid pain during the quest, but she never stops,
During the 1930s, many African Americans in the South lives in the segregation, suffers poverty, lack of education and low social statuses. Living in such society, Mrs. Phoenix – the protagonist of the story “a Worn Path” and an African American – stands out as a phoenix that rises from its dust. Her vital physical and social “weaknesses” do not strike her down but instead highlights her persistence, dignity, sympathy and her selfless love to her grandson. She is, however, a mortal phoenix: she suffers a downfall, which is, ironically, not due to her incapacity to overcome her disadvantages but is because of the long-rooted biases of her society.
Mrs. Phoenix has many physical disadvantages that seriously hinder her life. Senility weakens her physical health. She is “very old and small”, so she has to totally relies her balance on a thin cane and moves “a little from side to side in her steps” (1). During the trip, she always feels like her feet are chained. Her back is so rigid she cannot bend down to tie her shoe, and due to her extremely blurred eyesight, she takes tremendous time and efforts to unravel her dress caught by a thorny bush. Towards these disadvantages, Mrs. Phoenix is very fragile, yet very strong-willed and persistent. She is fragile because without constantly talking aloud to herself, she would feel the pain of senility after walking an extremely long road. Alone in the forest, she would feel so lonely that she hallucinates a boy appearing out of nowhere and giving her cupcakes that warm her heart. At the same time, Mrs. Phoenix is strong-willed and unyielding. Her sayings are delightful, encouraging and poetic: “Up through pines, now down through oaks” (9), “walk pretty, this is the easy place” (22), “now comes the trial” (13). Supporting her “singings” are her actions, such as marching through a log and crying aloud, which proves that she knows her fragility and feels the vivid pain during the quest, but she never stops,