GROUP 6

1. MOHAN
2. TEO KHIM SIANG
3. ALLENOVACK YONG
4. LIM YEE MUN
A WORN PATH

BY: EUDORA WELTY

Identify themes related to
short story.
 Themes
1. Racial inequality
For instance, Phoenix is never afforded the dignity
of her own name; she is not addressed as Mrs.
Jackson, or even Phoenix. The white people she
encounters, even the strangers, call her "Grandma"
or "Granny," using the term not out of affection but
as an indicator of her social status.

 The hunter points his gun at her to

intimidate her because he assumes that
right. Phoenix, however, is not scare and
even tells the hunter she has seen "plenty
[of guns] go off closer by, in my day." The
implication is that Phoenix has seen racial
violence during her lifetime.
 Finally, the attendant in the clinic treats
Phoenix very disrespectfully, calling her
"Grandma," ordering her to speak up,
bombarding her with questions, and
demanding to know if she is deaf. We can
assume that a white woman would not
have been treated this way. Phoenix, being
an old black woman, was not afforded
common courtesy.
2. A Poor And Poverty Stricken
Society
That Phoenix is poor plays an integral part
in the story. She is identified by the rude
attendant as "a charity case." Phoenix
endures the humiliation heaped upon her
to get the free medicine that will bring pain
relief to her suffering grandson
 Also, Phoenix steals a nickle from the
hunter and asks for another nickle while
in the clinic. When she has the ten cents,
she has enough money to buy a toy for
her grandson. It will surely be his only
Christmas gift.
 Phoenix is a poor, uneducated country
woman whose strong character will not
allow age, poverty, or racism prevent her
from acting on her love for her little
grandson
 3.Love .
Though quite old and suffering from
infirmities, Phoenix Jackson regularly walks
a long distance to obtain medicine for her
grandchild. Even in cold weather, when the
frozen earth is slippery, she makes the trip.
Her journeythe worn path she follows
demonstrates her love for the child.

 4.Perseverance.

Phoenix Jackson's walk to Natchez

demonstrates her will to persevere in a
sometimes hostile world. On her way to
Natchez, she must endure the cold, keep
her footing on frozen ground, crawl under a
barbed-wire fence, walk through the maze
of a cornfield, and watch out for dangerous
animals such as wild hogs.
 . An unfriendly dog threatens her and she
falls into a ditch. But her occasional
journey to Natchez is only a small part of
her story. Every day, she must deal with
poverty and the pains of old age, care for
a child with a scarred throat, and confront
the evil of racial prejudicea fact of life in
Mississippi and elsewhere in the U.S.
5. Redemption .

The theme redemption is highlighted in the

character Phoenix. She providies
opportunities for others to do good deeds
that will help to redeem their souls. For
example, after attempting to drive off the
black dog, Phoenix falls into a ditch. Along
comes a white hunter. He helps her out of
the ditch..
 In Natchez, Phoenix asks a woman
carrying wrapped Christmas presents to
tie her shoes. The woman puts the
packages down and complies. In the
doctor's office, the attendant treats
Phoenix rudely but ends up giving her a
nickel as a Christmas present
Thank You