A Worn Path

The Prevalent Themes in Eurdora Welty's "A Worn Path"

Eurdora Welty's short story " A Worn Path" is a story about a very elderly black woman who repeatedly, no matter the conditions, makes a long journey into the city of Natchez, Mississippi, to retrieve medicine for her sick grandson who accidentally swallowed some lye.

There are three prevalent themes: perseverance, heroism, and race.

Perseverance is a prevalent theme in this story. The very essence of this journey which the main character undertakes is that it is long and frightening and filled with many obstacles some threatening and some just difficult. The journey begins early one morning in December, and the main character has to travel through dark woods, climb up and down hills, crawl through a barbed-wire fence, struggle with thorn bushes, and cross a creek on a log. Yet, she continues undaunted as she has many times before. It is a frightening but familiar journey.

The main character in this story shows great heroism. She is driven by an ingrained sense of urgency to obtain the medicine that is needed for her grandson, her only living relative. Westling suggests that "Phoenix exhibits a "distinctively feminine kind of heroism" that derives from females' roles as "guardians and nurturer's of children"(qtd. In Hall) The main characters does not seem to be concerned with her own safety. She sets out every time on this journey and is not concerned with what may happen along the way. She is only concerned with the fact that her grandson gets what he needs to survive and is set to fight the odds. Given her age, race, and the time in which she lives, she demonstrates remarkable heroism.

Race is another prevalent theme in the story. If the main character were not a black woman who had lived such a hard life, the struggle would not seem as great. Barnshisel states that "it is with race that any discussion of this story must begin".(Qtd. In Barnshisel) The main character's race and age, moreover,