Introduction
Analyzing the literary text, the readers and the critics often pay attention to the context in which the text was written, the background, and certainly the content of the text. On the other hand, the principles of new criticism do not consider such factors, limiting the area of analysis to the text itself, i.e. the verbal meaning of the words, the language, the structure, and the way the aforementioned elements were used by the author, so the reader can have only one correct interpretation of the text.
As an example of the application of these principles, this paper analyzes a short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty. In the short story “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, the author tells the story of a regular journey of an old woman to the town, showing the obstacles put in her way, either by age or environment and the way she overcomes them. This paper states that the text of the story was used to emphasize the theme of death for the main protagonist, and the way she reacted to them. In that regard, it can be stated that the story extensively used foreshadowing, symbols, and images to portray a picture of survival against all odds, irrespective of context, prejudice, or background.
Analysis
The main themes shown in the short story can be seen related to death. In that regard, even the selection of the name of the protagonist, which is Phoenix, can represent the process of revival and resurrection. At the same time, despite the constant use of symbols and figures of speech that are related to the aforementioned themes, the structure and the wording in the text can also create a sense of duality. This duality shows that despite the obstacles in the path of Phoenix and the death being close, there is also a sense of regularity in all the story’s actions, which can show her qualities in facing the obstacles in her path.
The symbols that predict the death in the story are many, where some of them are direct, while others are indirect. The direct indication of death can be seen in the reflection of Phoenix’s age on her body in such sentences as “moving a little from side to side”; “numberless branching wrinkles” and others (Welty 142). Other indirect forms of speech in the text predicting death can be seen through the use of symbols that represent the death in her path. The examples of death include mentioning the grave in “This made a grave” (1), the comparison of the trees to “black men with one arm” (144), the image of a field of dead corn (144), the reference of death’s closeness through visions of ghosts (144), and others. In that sense, the author wanted to demonstrate using the comparisons, symbols, and images that death is going side by side with Phoenix.
Despite that statement, the author also demonstrates that although the death was close to Phoenix, she was like the mythical bird that came from the ashes and defeated the death. In addition to the symbolization in the previous statement in the name of Phoenix Jackson, this can be also seen using the text that shows the resiliency of Phoenix in overcoming the obstacles in her path, and the sense of regularity through the text. The sense of regularity can be seen in the usage of such images as “a pendulum in a grandfather clock” (1), where such an image shows the repetition of the actions of the pendulum, despite being old. Additionally, “tapping the frozen earth” (1), might also symbolize the repetition of a certain action, which “noise in the still air”, reflects the opposition to silence, which accordingly might represent death. A direct indication of the regularity in the text can be seen through the conversation of the nurses, where they stated that “She makes these trips just as regular as clockwork” (147)
The paradox in the story is that the author providing the image of resiliency and opposition to hardships, also showed using different instruments the weakness of Phoenix. In that regard, assuming that the author intended to demonstrate how Phoenix Jackson was determined to fight the obstacles in her way showing the strength of her character, the meaning of the poem from the different symbols used was the weakness of Jackson, going through a path “worn” like herself. Thus, the author’s intentions did not determine the meaning of the work.
Additionally, when reading the text, it can be seen that the setting of the story, which is the times of segregation, and the social and cultural background did not affect its meaning, where it can be said that even if the Phoenix Jackson was an old white woman living in Paris for example, the meaning of the text would not have changed. This statement can be proved by analyzing the conversation between the phoenix and the white man in the story, where there was no other hidden meaning for choosing a black woman, other than she was old and poor. The same can be said about the time of the events, close to Christmas, where although other meanings can be found if using such context, these meanings do not change the main intention of the author.
The irrelevance of the content of the story to its interpretation can be seen through the fact that when analyzing the text and the different symbols, figures of speech, and comparisons in the text, this interpretation does not reflect the summary of the story. In that sense, it can be said that the summary of the story is simple: Phoenix Jackson is going from point A to point B, facing the obstacles C, D, and F. It is seen that the story’s interpretation was not a paraphrase of the story itself, and was deeper than the simple actions shown in the summary.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the text in “A Worn Path” made use of words and their verbal meaning to translate the simple story of a journey into a deeper and more complex interpretation. This simple journey reflected the true character of Phoenix Jackson, a woman who is old but symbolizes endurance and life, just like the bird she was named after. In that regard, ambivalence is created through the story’s confrontation between death and age, and the regularity and resilience of Phoenix Jackson. Assessing the story’s meaning and the author’s intention, it can be seen that the intention of the author was found analyzing the text without the reference to any background or context in which this story was written.
Works Cited
Welty, Eudora. The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. 1st ed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980. Print.