"The Worn Path"

"She did not close her eyes, and when a little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. "That would be acceptable," she said. But when she want to take it there was just her own hand in the air. " Eudora Welty pg 450. I start out with this quote from the story because right away we realize something isn't right with this woman? She may have dementia or have hallucinogens that she may not know of. Throughout the story shes constantly seeing things with the Scarecrow and the hunter and even her grandson, which we don't even know if he is real? When she arrives at the clinic/hospital the people ask her all kinds of questions and she doesn't answer like she had a black out like would if you had seizures. When a person has a black out they forget what they were doing and have an out of mind experience such in a way that Phoenix did. Phoenix's whole goal you would think is to get her medicine to her grandson in this story but in actuality its more about her life and the struggles she has been through. Maybe she was a slave in her earlier years? Or maybe she had family that were slaves? She talks to the nurse about how her and her grandson are the only two left in the world. Phoenix is all alone and believing that her grandson is still alive gives her the strength to make it into town and gives her something to do to pass the time.