"A Worn Path" By Eudora Welty

The Hero's Journey of: Phoenix Jackson

Katie Falzone, Autumn Ledgister-Cummins, Hope Corey,and Alyssia Smith

"The Worn Path": Summary Phoenix, an old

grandmother, travels to town to get medicine for

her sick grandson. Through out her journey

she is faced with many obstacles, but she rises

up, faces the challenges, and gets the medicine she

needs.

Author: Eudora Welty http://mdah.state.ms.us/welty/biography.html

"The Worn Path": Context-This story takes place on the Natchez Trace

-The Natchez Trace is a historical path that stretches roughly 440 miles from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville,

Tennessee -At the time of the story in the south there was a lot of

racism against blacks

http://edwardjohnson.com/images/pcd1-0065.3.jpg

"The Worn Path": Characters Transformation

Phoenix Jackson's transformation is that when she first starts her journey, she doesn't think

she will make it, but she completes her trip, and gets to where she needs to go.

"The Worn Path": SeparationThe call of the story is when she has to go

to town to retrieve medicine for her sick grandson.

The threshold is when she starts her journey to town.

Her threshold guardian is herself The unknown world is the woods, and the

trail she is walking on.

"The Worn Path": Initiation challenges:the man who approached her on her

walk, and walking through the path. temptation: to just give up and return home. helper: is her grandson, because he is her

motivation to go to town. talisman: would be the nickels she gets from the

man, and the nurse, and the cane she uses. abyss: was trying to convince the nurses to give

her the medicine for free, because she didn't have money.

"The Worn Path": ReturnRevelation: realizing that her grandson isn't getting much better, even though she gets

medicine for him. Transformation: she transforms from a weak

old woman,to an experienced person who can make the long trip

Atonement: when she finally got the medicine Return: when she leaves the nurses office,

and starts her journey home Gift: the medicine, and the windmill

"The Worn Path": ObservationsPhoenix is a good name because she always goes back and

always makes the long trip. She gets the medicine, goes home, and comes back again.

This is a story of heroism because she always takes the long trip

in order to heal her grandson. There is a lot of racism and judgement going on because Phoenix

is an old black woman living in a time period where there was a lot of discrimination.

Her grandson is not dead because if he was, she would have

given up on her journey. If he was dead, there would be no point

in going to get the medicine.

"The Worn Path": Final Words

Phoenix fits the definition of a hero because she stands up for what she believes in and she

achieves her goal without giving up. She persists through all the challenges, and ends

up getting the medicine for her grandson.