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.