A Worn Path by Eudora Welty

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Table of Contents
1. A Worn Path: Introduction 2. Eudora Welty Biography …show more content…

While he momentarily turns his attention to his dogs, she snatches the nickel from the ground. When he returns, he points the gun at her and asks if it scares her. After she tells him that it does not, he leaves her and she continues walking. Finally she reaches Natchez, where the Christmas bells are ringing and the town is festooned with decorations. She asks a white woman to tie her shoe, and the woman obliges. Arriving at her destination, the woman climbs a set of stairs and enters a doctor's office. The attendant assumes Phoenix is a charity case. The nurse replies that it is "just old Aunt Phoenix" who has come to get medicine for her grandson. Phoenix remains silent as the nurse asks her questions. The nurse eventually loses patience and urges the old woman to "tell us quickly about your grandson, and get it over." Phoenix snaps out of her daze when a "flame of comprehension" comes to her. She explains what the nurse already knows, that her grandson swallowed lye and now needs medicine periodically to soothe his throat. The nurse offers Phoenix a few pennies, to which she responds "Five pennies is a nickel." After the nurse gives her the nickel, she lays her two nickels side by side in her hand and then leaves the office to buy her grandson a paper windmill. » Back to Table of Contents

Characters
The Grandson Phoenix's grandson does not appear in the story, but his medical condition is the reason for the old woman's