A Worn Path

A Worn Path - Eudora Welty

How often do we wander through life in auto pilot, not really feeling or sensing what we are doing? Phoenix, the protagonist of the story, is described as "Moving slowly and from side to side, she went into the big building, and into a tower of steps, where she walked up and around and around until her feet knew when to stop," (Welty, 228). Phoenix is characterized as failing to correctly interpret her surroundings or purposes. For this reason, I believe that her grandson is no longer living, but she is keeping his memory alive in her mind through denial or fantasy. Her hallucinations prove that at least some part of the boy is lurking in her mind only. Her loyalty to his memory touches many people in the story, but few recognize its power. The hunter, the woman on the street, and the attendants in the hospital are not unkind to her, but do not feel that this old woman could have any kind of profound impact on their lives.