Worn Path Old Phoenix in Term Paper

Total Length: 689 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 0

Page 1 of 2

With a cane, she is able to make a long walk from her home to the hospital, and only needs someone to tie her shoe because she cannot, because she is using a cane.

The tale is set in winter, in the South, after the Civil War. The lack of respect shown towards the poor woman who has walked so far may have a great deal to do with her race as well as her poverty and lack of education. Phoenix says she "never did go to school, I was too old at the Surrender." Notice that Phoenix calls the end of the Civil War 'the surrender' as many proud Southerners might which suggests the Southern point-of-view the 'correct' side surrendered, rather than simply saying that the war ended. The doctor also says: "She makes these trips just as regular as clockwork," reflecting the Southern dialect of the setting and also reinforcing the reason that the path that Phoenix had trod to the hospital is so worn. Phoenix, the tale suggests, is undaunted by weather or by contempt.
In some ways, Old Phoenix represents the dead, old South, and a system where blacks were forced to labor for others during slavery. At least Old Phoenix now labors for her grandson, and the white people around her give her some aid, as opposed to demanding that she work for them. Thus her path also shows the ability of an oppressed people to create and give birth to themselves anew, even in the face of death and oppression. Because of her sacrifice, her grandson, who is free, will live. This is why the reader, after reading about the character's worn path, feels inspired by her travails, rather than saddened by her troubles. Although her aches and pains and life-giving power may not be fully memorialized on earth, her life is meaningful because it heals the sick, and generates goodness and love in….....

Need Help Writing Your Essay?