Deal Me in Challenge: A Worn Path by Eudora Welty

Card Drawn:

'Sleep on, alligators, and blow your bubbles.' 

The clash between the rural Old South and the New South is a thematic concern in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path," which reminded me a lot of Flannery O'Connor's stories who is also an American female southern writer. I wonder if the two authors ever crossed paths or corresponded with one another since they were both writing around the same time but their literary aesthetic is quite different. They might share similar subject matter such as racial inequality, poverty, white hegemony and isolation but I would argue that Eudora Welty's writing style possesses a lightheartedness mixed with dark humor. In contrast, O'Connor maintains a cynical edge, assiduously combining comedy with tragedy. She is known more for her "Southern Gothic" aesthetic, focusing on the grotesque, horror and violence. Additionally, there always tends to be a religious element to O'Connor's writing--more specifically, Christianity. She is interested in exploring spirituality, grace, faith, morality, sin and even employs religious parables. I have not read enough from Eudora Welty to examine how she tackles religion but in this particular story, she puts her own Southern spin on the folklore tradition by portraying an old black lady named Phoenix Jackson as a heroic mythical figure who sets out on an important quest. An air of mystery surrounds the old lady as she makes the dangerous trek through dangerous woods and rough terrain of the rural south to the small town of Natchez, Mississippi. The exact reason for her arduous journey is not made clear until the very end of the story. 

Welty successfully utilizes the compactness and economy of the short-story form to eschew key plot details, thereby creating a mysterious atmosphere of the unknown. Instead of providing detailed exposition that one would find in a novel, she evokes the reader's sense of wonder through brevity. The title of the story suggests that the old lady has made this journey many times before and is following a very specific path to her destination but why is she walking through the woods all alone? Why does she keep talking to herself in a cryptic language and communicating with her natural surroundings? Is she senile? Welty deliberately withholds key information to incite the reader's potential curiosity. She hints at a hidden magic or strange reality that permeates everyday experiences. Phoenix Jackson might seem like an ordinary old black woman but there is something enchanting about her as she slowly makes her way through these treacherous and mystical woods. Indeed, the first section of the story almost feels like a fairy-tale at times with her in the leading role of some fantasy adventure of her own design but becomes disillusioned once she reaches town. 

Despite Welty's honorable proficiency as a short-story writer, I found the ending of "A Worn Path" to be overly sentimental and lacking the emotional payoff intended by the author. Although I am glad to have finally read her, I much prefer Flannery O'Connor's depiction of the American south.