Previous Next

Phoenix Jackson is a brave, cunning, and endearing old woman. “A Worn Path” takes place in the 1940s, and throughout the story, Phoenix references her age. She was born into slavery and lived through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The story occurs when she is an old woman living in the Deep South under Jim Crow, a series of ordinances meant to keep Black citizens separate and disempowered after slavery. Given all that Phoenix has survived and seen in her life, her arduous journey to get medicine for her grandson mirrors the many struggles she has faced and overcome in her life. 

Phoenix’s tenacious character comes through when she faces obstacles on her journey. She shows patience when she painstakingly frees her skirts from the thorny bush. She shows bravery when she faces the log bridge, despite her fear that she’s too old to cross it. She shows humor when she faces the scarecrow in the field and does a little dance with it. She shows cunning and a fierce intelligence when she faces down the white hunter, tricking him into leaving his nickel unattended and feeling no fear when he decides to point his gun at her.

When she comes to her destination, Phoenix at first forgets the reason for her journey. It is clear she’s overcome with exhaustion. Throughout, she has occasionally slipped into waking dreams, suggesting she may be suffering from dementia. As soon as she comes back to herself, though, she expresses her deep, abiding love for her grandson. She uses the only two nickels she seems to have in the world, one from the hunter and one from the attendant, to buy her grandson a hopeful present so that he may have a little joy. Her goodness shines through from the start of her journey to the end.

Previous section Character List Next section The Hunter

Take a Study Break