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1、“A Worn Path” Welty, Eudora熟路-尤多拉韦尔蒂,坎坷之路,Setting,The action takes place in December, circa 1940, in southwestern Mississippi. The scene begins in the the wilderness and then shifts to the city of Natchez.,Characters,Phoenix Jackson: Very old black woman with poor eyesight who walks a long distance
2、through wilderness and fields to obtain medicine for her grandchild. She is the main character.White Hunter: Man who helps Phoenix to her feet after she falls into a ditch.Black Children: Children Phoenix encounters just before she reaches Natchez.Natchez Pedestrian: Woman who ties Phoenixs shoes.At
3、tendant: Receptionist in a physicians office.Nurse: Physicians nurse, who gives Phoenix medicine for her grandchild.Grandson of Phoenix: Child who once swallowed lye. He requires medicine to treat his throat.,情节简介,熟路的情节是一段旅程，一名孱弱的老妪在寒冷的冬日行走于山径，为的是能进城替患白喉病的小孙子取药。 为了医治孙儿的病，这位老祖母仍然不顾险阻进城取药。菲尼克斯这一路上，穿过了
4、荆棘，湍急的溪流，锋利的铁丝网和迷宫般的田地，但她似乎并没有被困难吓倒，反而很享受她的旅途。,plot,A Worn Path describes the journey of an elderly black woman named Phoenix Jackson who walks from her home to the city of Natchez to get medicine for her sick grandson. The landscape as Phoenix perceives it becomes a primary focus of the vividly evo
5、ked narrative; nature is depicted as alternately beautiful and as an impediment to Phoenixs progress. As she walks, she struggles against intense fatigue and poor eyesight, as well as such obstacles as thorn bushes and barbed wire. The combined effects of her old age, her poor vision, and her poetic
6、 view of the world heighten the lyricism and symbolism of the narrative For example, she mistakes a scarecrow for a dancing ghost until she draws close enough to touch its empty sleeve. A particularly tense episode occurs when she encounters a white hunter who appears friendly at first, but then mak
7、es a condescending suggestion that she is probably going to town to see Santa Claus. When he inadvertently drops a nickel, Phoenix distracts him and manages to pick it up, feeling that she is stealing as she does so. The hunter suddenly points his gun at her, and while he may have seen her pick up t
8、he nickel, it is unclear what his actual motivation is for this threatening gesture. Phoenix, however, does not appear afraid; the hunter lowers his gun and she manages to continue on her way unharmed and without returning the nickel.,plot,Finally reaching the shining city of Natchez, Phoenix enters
9、 the big buildingpresumably a hospitalwhere a nurse questions her about her grandson, asking if he has died. Phoenix remains strangely quiet at first, as if deaf to the nurses questions. She then apologizes, claiming that her memory had suddenly failed herthat for a moment, she could not remember wh
10、y she had made her long journey. The story concludes with Phoenixs heartfelt description of her grandson, whose throat was injured several years ago when he swallowed lye. She declares that he is not dead, receives the medicine for him, along with another nickel, with which she decides to buy him a
11、Christmas presenta little windmill.,The plot of the story,“A worn path”by Eudora Welty is a short story about an elderly African-American woman named Phoenix Jackson who is walking through the woods into town. On her way she encounters many deterrents, like a large dog, barbed wire, and a hunter fro
12、m whom she pockets a nickel that he drops, and a lady who ties her shoes along with many other obstacles. Her reason for going to Natchez is to pick up a supply of medicine for her grandson, who accidentally swallowed lye a few years before. It is implied that Pheonix Jackson has dementia for she se
13、es hallucinations. Through numerous hints in the story it is also implied that the medicine she is picking up for grandson is not necessary because her grandson died many years ago. However she thinks that he is still alive due to her hallucinations. She tells the nurse in the hospital that that the
14、 damage to his throat never fully heals, and every so often his throat will begin to swell shut, which suggests that the grandson has died of suffocation. It is Old Phoenixs love for her grandson that causes her to face the trial of the journey to town, every time it is necessary, with no questions
15、asked. At its heart, A Worn Path is a tale of undying love and devotion that pushes us toward a goal.,The conflict,Every work of fiction has some kind of conflict, and most obvious one in A Worn Path is Phoenixs struggle against nature and the landscape. The conflict with the office attendant serves
16、 to show another side of Phoenix, her dignity in the face of racial and age Conflict What emotions does this story evoke in you? What is your reaction to the ending of the story? Would you prefer to know that Phoenix Jacksons grandson is alive? Why or why not? Why do you think Phoenix does not immediately respond to the questions of the nurse and the attendant? What does Phoenixs show strength and determination? We can find the answer from “The path”in following sides:,We can find the ans
