Eudora Welty’s Use of Myth 1 In her intriguing short story “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty tells two tales, one having a literal sequence of events and another having a deeper, philosophical meaning. Read as a simple narrative, “A Worn Path” tells of an old woman who walks a great distance to obtain medicine for her chronically ill grandson. However, “by interweaving the account of this quest of love with the Egyptian Phoenix myth, the author provides the reader with a symbolic level of interpretation that not only adds texture and power to the tale but also reveals its theme of immortality” (Conners 33). We especially find this to be true when we examine the plot and character elements of the story. 2 The use of the name “Phoenix” for the main character establishes the story’s connection to myth. In Well-Known Egyptian Myths, Adrian Phelps explains that Phoenix is also the name of a mythological bird that was sacred to the sun-god in ancient Egypt. Every 500 years, according to the myth, the bird creates a funeral pyre of its own nest and then rises from the ashes. In gathering the ashes and depositing them at the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis, a sacred city in Egypt, “the magnificent Phoenix manifests its immortality” (82). The character of Old Phoenix Jackson embodies the Egyptian myth both physically and spiritually. 3 How can an old woman resemble a mythological bird that has “brilliant scarlet and gold plumage” (Phelps 21)? In her vivid d Samuels 2 5 The journeys traveled by Old Phoenix Jackson and the mythological Phoenix are similar. Heliopolis and Natchez, their respective destinations, are both large cities that hold the keys to renewal and continued life. Both journeys are ritualistic in their cyclic repetition, the bird’s journey occurring every five centuries and the woman’s each time her grandson needs medicine. “The journeys of both the bird and the old woman symbolize the life cycle, an eternal walk of confusion until a destination is reached” (Paton 20). Just as the mythological Phoenix transcends all nature in its extraordinary actions, Phoenix Jackson, driven by focused intent, moves beyond what might be considered the physical limitations of an old woman. As the Phoenix bird pauses during its journey, so does the old woman. The mythical bird resurrects itself “fresh and new” after its self- sacrifice in the nest (Conners 20). When resting, Phoenix Jackson “spread her skirts on the bank around her and folded her hands over her knees” (Welty 2), also assuming a nesting position. 6 By associating her story “A Worn Path” with the ancient Egyptian Phoenix myth, Eudora Welty enriches a simple tale, raising it to a level of universality. We all re-create ourselves as we overcome challenges and defeats along the road of life. Works Cited Conners, Michael. “The Theme of Immortality in Eudora Welty’s Works.” Criticism of American Literature. Ed. Thomas C. Jones. Chicago: Ballentine, 1988. 3-37. Paton, Tonya. “Mythological Allusions in the Short
