Short stories are poignant pieces of literature, as pithy and powerful as poetry but in a more straightforward and relatable package. Like poetry, a short story relies on literary devices like symbolism and imagery, characterization and setting, to convey the author’s themes. Also like poetry, the short story reflects the cultural and historical context in which it was written. While the canon of American literature is rich with examples of iconic, enduring short stories with the timeless qualities that have allowed them to rise to the status of being classics, there are a few that have risen higher than the others, and among those few there is one that is superior to all others. That exemplary short story is Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” which uses characterization, setting, and symbolism to capture the themes of faith and perseverance.
In an exemplary short story, setting becomes like a character with a personality and life of its own. No other short story personifies setting as well as “A Worn Path,” the title of which hearkens to the way a person is always interacting with the environment. The path Phoenix Jackson takes is not worn from the repetitive footsteps of others, but from the persistent nature of love. Phoenix walks on and on, in spite of the dismissive attitudes of others, the physical, economic, and psychological hardships she endures. Through this intense and heavy-hearted setting, Welty paints a portrait of what it means to be black in America. Thus, setting promotes the power of symbolism in the short story, showing how Welty manages to blend together multiple literary devices in one masterful work.
“A Worn Path” is set in the middle of winter, and starts on a “frozen day” that drives home the environmental conditions the protagonist must face. The freezing environment also represents the cold-heartedness of people around her, including those Phoenix encounters along the way to her grandson. At times, Phoenix risks losing her own dignity: “Phoenix was like an old woman begging a dignified...
Works Cited
Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path.” http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/ew_path.html
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