A Worn Path Analysis

Natchez TraceFor a scenic stroll along a path that was once used by Native Americans, explorers, workers, traders, famous historical figures, and vagabonds of all kind, lace up your sneakers and ch...

While Phoenix is making her way along the Natchez Trace, the narration follows her thoughts closely, giving us a running commentary from Phoenix.She talks to herself: "Seem like there is chains abo...

The Southern gothic genre is usually defined broadly as literature set in the South, concerned with social and cultural issues of the South, and featuring supernatural, grotesque, and/or morbid ele...

Phoenix may be a crazy old woman—she may be locked in a cycle of futile journeys to and from town for a lost cause. Other characters certainly seem to think so. But the text itself, the words and...

When we join Phoenix on the first page of the story, it feels like we are stepping into a world from long ago and far away. This effect comes from rich descriptive passages that give aspects of the...

No tricks or hidden meaning in "A Worn Path." In the story, Phoenix walks along a path to town that she has walked many times before. That's right—it's a worn path. No secret code meaning, no lit...

The ending of the story is a little bit ambiguous, and it isn't what we would typically call happy or sad. It is a victory for Phoenix insofar as she proves her strength and determination to carry...

If you find yourself scratching your head a few times while reading this story, don't worry—you're not alone. There are a couple things going on here that trip readers up. First of all, we're kin...

We're Off to See the WizardThe story set up gives us the deets on Phoenix's physical appearance and some info on her surroundings. At this point, we know we are following along with a small, old bl...

We're willing to bet most of you don't have any friends named Eudora. Are we right? The name wasn't among the top 1000 most common baby names in 1909 when Welty was born, nor has it cracked the top...

Come on, people. This story is about a grandmother. The only love here is the maternal love of a gram for her grandson. Nothing steamy going on here at all.

The Surrender (87)