Eudora Welty

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the ways that Eudora Welty uses characters and circumstances in her books to illustrate a conflict between the Old South and the New South. The paper presents many examples from many different books of hers to demonstrate her portrayal of this conflict. It examines the role of the characters and the language that she uses to describe the conflict.

From the Paper:

"In "A Worn Path," we see the Old South represented in the character of Phoenix, an African-American woman who was "very old and small" (Worn Path Welty 26). The setting of this story is post-Civil War and Phoenix is still living a realm that has not quite caught up with the real world. Phoenix represents the Old South not only with her journey but also the love she carries for her grandchild. In Phoenix's character, we find determination and a strong will that does not bend easily. She meets the forest with a feisty attitude, telling the "foxes, owls beetles, jack rabbits, coons, and wild animals" (26) to keep their distance. She makes it through the forest and crawls beneath a barbed-wire fence in the name of love. Every step of the way, she represents a segment of the Old South, bubbling with superstition. For instance, she mistakes a scarecrow for a ghost. She also crosses a swamp where she says, "Sleep on, alligators, and blow your bubbles" (29). Here we see how Phoenix is living in a culture that while it is slightly skewed, it holds a certain amount of respect for the earth."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Jones William M. "Welty's "A Worn Path." The Explicator. Vol. XV. No. 9.1957. GALE Resource Database. http://wwwinfotrac.com Site Accessed March 29, 2006.
• Welty, Eudora. "A Visit of Charity." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Kennedy, X. J. and Gioia, Dana, eds. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers. 1995. pp. 559-63.
• "A Worn Path." American 24-Karot Gold. New York: Longman, Inc. 2002. pp. 26-33.
• "Livvie." An Introduction to Literature. Barnet, Sylvan, ed. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company. pp. 67-79.
• "The Wide Net." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. II. Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company. 1990. pp. 1796-1812.

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