A Worn Path During the period of slavery and in the decades that followed, social class struggles were evident and predominant. In a white world, African Americans struggled under great oppression and even after gaining freedom from slavery they were still held by the bondage of social status. Eudora Welty's short story “A Worn Path” offers a clear view of this slavery and shows the reader the hardships endured by African Americans even after they were made legally free. The lack of racial harmony is easily seen throughout “A Worn Path,” especially as the old woman approaches the town, and Welty takes pains to show how social status affects and affects Phoenix, the main character and subject of the short film. story and the people he meets during his trip to the city. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the most important social classification points raised in the story is that of whites, particularly males, considering themselves better than blacks. Knowledge of the time period allows us to understand that many whites saw themselves as taller and more powerful than blacks simply because they were white and had been in control for so long. The white hunter who helps old Phoenix out of the ditch provides numerous examples of this attitude held by whites. One of the first things he does after helping her and finding out where she's headed was to put an end to her journey. He calls out to her saying, “Why, it's too far away! That's all I walk when I go out myself and get something for my trouble. In this we see him as full of himself as a young white male and trying to say that since he only gets so far, there's no way an old black woman could make the journey. This idea that whites are better than blacks simply because of their social status is seen again a few paragraphs later in Phoenix's response to the white man after they pulled a gun on her. When he asks her if she is afraid, she simply replies, "No, sir, I've seen many explode closer, in my time, and for less than I did." Here we see that he has experienced similar things before, which shows the reader that it is not just this hunter who thinks he is better than the blacks. His willingness, and the willingness of others that Phoenix alludes to, to point a gun at a black woman without fear of consequences only drives home the fact that white men didn't really fear black men because they saw themselves as better than them. They. Social status, in addition to causing whites to place themselves above blacks, has also caused most white Americans to interact with African Americans in condescending ways. The first example of this is when the young white hunter scoffs at the old woman's insistence on going to town. “I know you old black men! I wouldn't miss going into town to see Santa Claus!” he tells her laughing. He is unaware of her reasons for going to town, but he stereotypes her and attempts to bring her morale down with his tone and attitude. Since he believes he is better than her, he has no problem speaking to her in such a rude tone. The same tone is seen again once Phoenix reaches the city when she first enters the "big building" and the janitor sees her. Without even asking what he is there for or who he is, the attendant comments: “Charity case, I guess.” This comment exemplifies the attitude that whites had towards African Americans. Since Welty has already shown the reader that white people believe they are better than black people, the commentof the employee allows us to see how condescending tone the whites used with their "inferiors". For them, an old black woman who enters the building must certainly be nothing more than a poor old man who comes to look for alms or something similar. There is no sign that the clerk has given serious thought to Phoenix's true needs. Social class clearly plays an important role in this story, and one can understand its influence when one begins to understand the depth of the old woman's poverty. When the attendant gives her a second cent, her exuberance is seen when she says that she will buy her grandson a present and that, "He will find it hard to believe that such a thing exists in the world." He is thrilled to bring his nephew a small gift along with the medicine, and the fact that he is amazed to see something so small helps to understand the poverty in which the two of them live. This poverty stems largely from their social position as African Americans. Knowing a little history it is easy to understand this poverty, as many African Americans still lived in excessive poverty even after “The Surrender” and their liberation from slavery. However, even without this knowledge, we can understand Phoenix's poverty when she explains to the nurse that “I never went to school; I was too old to surrender. This surrender refers to the time when the last of the slaves became a free, legal person living in America, and because she was too old to go to school after all the slaves were freed, she was never able to learn the necessary things. find a job or earn a living for her and her grandson. Along with this, the two of them live alone in the woods, and this alone demonstrates their separation from the white man's world and his riches. The struggles of the old woman herself are clear in "A Worn Path," and social structure clearly plays a large role in her difficulties, but Welty used more than just Phoenix and her encounters to provide examples of the differences observed between the position of whites and blacks on the social ladder. In fact, if you look at the story as a whole, it is clear that Welty intended the entire journey to be a symbol in and of itself of the struggle that blacks had with the social classes of the time. Phoenix's journey from his home to the city is a symbol of the long and arduous journey that African Americans had even after "The Surrender". When Phoenix first begins his journey, he comes to a hill where he says "Something always grabs me on this hill - begging me to stay." This hill is an example along Phoenix's journey and symbolizes one of the many obstacles that African Americans had to overcome on their path to racial freedom and social equality. Then, as she went down the other side, "a bush caught her dress." She speaks to the thorns saying, “You are doing the work assigned to you. I never want to let people pass, no sir." The thorns are yet another example of people and social classes preventing Phoenix and other blacks from expressing their full potential. As he continues his journey, this idea of ​​history itself as a great symbol becomes clearer and clearer as Welty accumulates more and more examples, such as the log across the stream and the dog throwing her into the ditch where she meets the white hunter. Remember: this is just one example. Get a personalized document now our expert writers. Get a custom essay Through knowing the history of the time period and reading "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty a few times, it is easy to see the underlying themes of social differentiation and class bonds and how have influenced the African American population. Welty does a splendid job, 168(2),, 45(3), 413-420.