Humans, though intellectually well endowed, find themselves grappling when they confront the question, “What real love is?” Unfortunately, with all the superpowers and abilities they purportedly possess, these species are yet to define love realistically. However, when it comes to the matter of communicating ideas, some writers have gained a deeper insight into the life and thereby can explain to others what true love is.
Eudora Welty, with her narration skills, seems to possess the ability to provide her audience with some hints about the elements that constitute the real spirit of love. She achieves this objective, through her short story “A Worn Path” which illustrates the life of Phoenix Jackson, and the long walk she takes for love. Wetly, through this profound saga of a black female, postulates the idea that true love lies in the sustained determination to struggle, both as an individual and a race, for the welfare of the children, and not by acquiescing to concepts.
The story’s action focuses on the old black woman’s long walk through the country, finally arriving at a small town decorated for Christmas. The essence of Welt’s craftsmanship becomes evident in the manner in which she portrays Phoenix’s character in tandem with the physical things she passes along the way, which are symbolic of the journey she has taken through life. Its relevance in the context of the whole humanity, and the spirit of love, becomes evident in the fact that this sole woman’s journey reflects the tour her race has taken, which has a significant presence in the history of America. Welty’s talent as a dexterous author impacts her audience with its complete force only at the very end when she reveals the purpose of Phoenix’s trip by integrating the answer to questions about love.
The reader is introduced to Phoenix’s journey when it is already in progress, deep into an evergreen forest. The comparison Welty makes between Phoenix’s youth and the soft, yellow pine trees enthralls the readers by its sheer effect in foreshadowing the story’s theme. The innocence suggested in this bright little forest alludes to the plainness of African people in their bright yellow country before they were subjugated by the white. Again, the author invites her audience to acknowledge realities by reminding them about the softness of pinewood by suggesting that Phoenix still needs to defend herself. The scene where she hears a rustling noise in the thicket evokes a sense of irony in life.
The reader can envision the small black woman standing up against the great wilderness and saying, “Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jackrabbits, coons, and wild animals!” …Under her small, black-freckled hand her cane, limber as a buggy whip, would switch at the brush as if to rouse up any hiding things” (143). This elicits a feeling that the woman, despite her age, frailty, and haplessness, is prepared to encounter the challenges that lie in her way.
As the story progresses, the old woman makes her way through a landscape that continues to symbolize her progression through life as well as the growth of her race into freedom, and then again, the oppression and their persistent struggle to gain rights. As the story concludes, the purpose of her trip is revealed. This is where Welty’s skill as a gifted writer becomes most effective as she reveals to the readers the true depth of love – of the self, of the individual, and the race. Though the ending makes the readers feel dazzled by the shock, the author manages to strike home her point that love stems from the determination that enables you to struggle without conceding.
The most amazing aspect of Welty’s diligence as a writer derives from the fact that she dared to portray a frail, old, black woman as the representative of a whole race. Further, by depicting such a protagonist, she manages to evoke in the reader, through beautiful descriptions, a sense of how the weak can sustain when the leading spirit in them is love and determination. Phoenix becomes a symbol of the struggle of not only her people but also the entire humanity as a whole, for the basic elements of survival. On a deeper level, this journey is not just the story of a physical walk by an infirm elder through the country, but also a spiritual sojourn demonstrating Phoenix’s struggle in her life and the journey her race has taken and may be compelled to take further.
Her strength, determination, and resilient inner self illustrate the black people’s struggle for their rights and their need to be treated at par with other humans. This saga will inspire not just the blacks but any human who believes in the spirit of love and does not confine its meaning to the narrow walls of race, caste, creed, or color. The black movement for survival has proved to be successful because there was the spirit of love behind it as a driving force and the struggle for equality will continue where discrimination exists. Through characters such as Phoenix, the hopes and dreams of the black race will continue to rise, and the readers will recognize what love is.
Works Cited
Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path.” Backpack Literature. 2nd ed. Eds. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Person Longman, 2008: 143-153.