In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” there are many symbolic features that serve to enhance the description of Phoenix Jackson’s journey to town. From the biblical references and birds, to the protagonist’s name, and the windmill, Welty effectively implements a series of symbols to further develop the true meaning behind Jackson’s journey.
There are many examples of symbols in “A Worn Path,” that symbolize biblical events. Phoenix says, “…and the good Lord made his snakes to curl up and sleep in the winter. A pleasure I don’t see no two-headed snake coming around that tree, where it come once. It took a while to get by him, back in the summer” (385). The snake symbolizes the serpent among the Garden of Eden who tempts Eden to stray from her intended …show more content…
Welty describes, “Down in the hollow was the mourning dove—it was not too late for him” (384). The mourning dove is often a symbol of peace, faith, and love; illustrating Phoenix’s love for her grandson, and faith in his good health. She also encounters a buzzard, which symbolizes death in many literature and stories. Welty says, “Big dead trees, like black men with one arm, were standing in the purple stalks of the withered cotton field. There sat a buzzard” (385). The buzzard symbolizes Phoenix and her grandson’s lingering potential deaths. Phoenix stands up to the bird, demanding to know who it is watching as if death was in her near future (385). Lastly, Phoenix encounters several quail throughout her trek. The situation is described as, “The quail were walking around like pullets, seeming all dainty and unseen. ‘Walk pretty,’ she said. ‘This the easy place. This the easy going’” (386). The first encountering occurred very peacefully and nonchalantly; however, the last time Phoenix sees the quails they are dead as part of the hunter’s game. Since quails are seen as a frequently hunted bird, the quails symbolize Phoenix herself, beginning as calm and peaceful, yet always experiencing difficult trials. Welty uses different species of birds to symbolize important aspects throughout the story and further the meaning of Phoenix’s