xi ABSTRACT
SEPTIONE, PANDU. The Theme of Resilience in Difficult Situations in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
The short story of “A Worn Path” that is written by Eudora Welty is a story which tells of Phoenix Jackson who is an old woman, taking a journey to the town for a medicine that is required to cure her sick grandson. The story is decorated with a thick description of setting as well as a complex characterization of the main character. The setting reveals obstacles that Phoenix must face as her character is exposed to the readers. Through these two intrinsic elements, the theme of the continued determination solves difficult situations is shaped. Thus, the researcher conducts the study.
To achieve the objective of the study, the researcher formulates two questions as a limitation. The first question examines and explains the depiction of the main character and the setting. Thus a better understanding is attained. Based on that better understanding of main character and setting, the researcher improves the analysis closer toward the objective. Then, the second question aims to find a unifying idea that ties the main character, the setting, and the theme together. At the end the analysis results a conclusion.
The researcher utilizes library research as the method. Therefore reliable printed and internet resources are used to maximize the study. The printed resources include the short story of “A Worn Path” as the primary resource, and other resources, as well as, are applied to support the study. As for the internet resources, it uses reliable resources to bridge the gaps that the primary resources are lack of.
xii ABSTRAK
SEPTIONE, PANDU. The Theme of Resilience in Difficult Situations in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Univesitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.
“A Worn Path” adalah cerita pendek yang di karang oleh Eudora Welty dan cerita pendek ini mengisahkan seorang wanita tua bernama Phoenix Jackson yang menempuh sebuah perjalanan ke kota demi sebuah obat yang dapat menyembuhkan penyakit cucu laki – laki semata wayangnya. Cerita ini dipenuhi tulisan berbobot yang menyematkan kerincian sebuah situasi di dalam cerita pendek tersebut dengan seorang karakter utama yang memiliki kualitas rumit. Situasi yang hadir di dalam cerita menjadi tantangan bagi Phoenix, serta menjadi media untuk memaparkan kualitas yang dimilikinya. Oleh karena itu, peneliti melakukan penelitian ini melalui kedua unsur intrinsik tersebut sebuah tema dapat ditemukan.
Demi tercapai tujuan penelitian ini, peneliti memrumuskan dua pertanyaan sebagai pembatas. Pertanyaan yang pertama mempelajari dan menjelaskan penyajian seorang karakter utama and situasi di dalam cerita. Sehingga kita memperoleh pemahaman yang baik terhadap keduanya dan menjadi lebih dekat dengan tuajuan penelitian. Pertanyaan yang kedua mengacu pada penemuan tema, karakter utama, dan situasi di dalam cerita disatukan oleh satu ide. Akhirnya analisa menghasilkan sebuah kesimpulan.
Peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian berbasis pustaka. Dengan begitu sumber data yang terpercaya, baik buku maupun internet, digunakan untuk memaksimalkan proses penilitian. Buku – buku tersebut mencakup cerita pendek “A Worn Path” sebagai sumber data utama dan buku – buku teori yang dimanfaatkan dalam penelitian ini. Sedangkan sumber data yang berasal dari internet digunakan sebagai pelengkap ketiadaan data yand dimiliki oleh buku.
THE THEME OF RESILIENCE IN DIFFICULT SITUATION
IN EUDORA WELTY’S “A WORN PATH”
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PANDU SEPTIONE Student Number: 094214085
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
THE THEME OF RESILIENCE IN DIFFICULT SITUATION
IN EUDORA WELTY’S “A WORN PATH”
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree ofSarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
PANDU SEPTIONE Student Number: 094214085
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
Witing Tresno Jalaran Soko Kulino
viii
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The researcher dedicates this page to verbalize the sincere gratitude for those who support and help the researcher in the process of writing this undergraduate thesis. The researcher is able to complete this undergraduate thesis with the guidance and advice of my thesis advisor and co-advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M. Hum., and A. B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D. The researcher would accord a sincere gratitude to the both advisors for their advices. Also to my academic advisor, Dr. Bernadine Ria Lestari M.S., and all staff of Literature Department of Sanata Dharma Unirversity, my gratitude is yours. Without them this undergraduate thesis will not be realized. Moreover, I would like to express my gratitude to my family that I dearly love. They encourage the researcher to these days. For all my friends from the batch 2009, especially Abraham Aji and Beawindha Restu Brylliana who sincerely spent an ample of their time to assist the researcher, also Kristiawan Indriyanto, Surya Pranata, and fellow DoTA 2 in “Dictator”, I gratefully send my gratitude to them. For my friends from the batch 2010 and 2011, especially Class D of batch 2011, whom friendliness gives joy to the researcher, I send my gratitude to them also.
Ultimately I would thank Allah SWT for His infinite love and blessing that let me finish this undergraduate thesis and with His consent the researcher learns a lesson that I would like to share in togetherness.
x
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKAS KARYA ILMIAH …….. vi
MOTTO PAGE ………... vii
A. Background of the Study ………. 1
B. Problem Formulation .………..….... 4
C. Objectives of the Study ……… 4
D. Definition of Terms ………..………. 4
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ……….. 5
A. Review of Related Studies ………...… 5
B. Review of Related Theories …….………. 8
C. Theoretical Framework ….……….. 16
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ………. 17
A. Object of the Study …….………....… 17
B. Approach of the Study ………....… 17
xi
ABSTRACT
SEPTIONE, PANDU. The Theme of Resilience in Difficult Situations in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”. Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
The short story of “A Worn Path” that is written by Eudora Welty is a story which tells of Phoenix Jackson who is an old woman, taking a journey to the town for a medicine that is required to cure her sick grandson. The story is decorated with a thick description of setting as well as a complex characterization of the main character. The setting reveals obstacles that Phoenix must face as her character is exposed to the readers. Through these two intrinsic elements, the theme of the continued determination solves difficult situations is shaped. Thus, the researcher conducts the study.
To achieve the objective of the study, the researcher formulates two questions as a limitation. The first question examines and explains the depiction of the main character and the setting. Thus a better understanding is attained. Based on that better understanding of main character and setting, the researcher improves the analysis closer toward the objective. Then, the second question aims to find a unifying idea that ties the main character, the setting, and the theme together. At the end the analysis results a conclusion.
The researcher utilizes library research as the method. Therefore reliable printed and internet resources are used to maximize the study. The printed resources include the short story of “A Worn Path” as the primary resource, and other resources, as well as, are applied to support the study. As for the internet resources, it uses reliable resources to bridge the gaps that the primary resources are lack of.
xii
ABSTRAK
SEPTIONE, PANDU. The Theme of Resilience in Difficult Situations in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path”. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Univesitas Sanata Dharma, 2016.
“A Worn Path” adalah cerita pendek yang di karang oleh Eudora Welty dan cerita pendek ini mengisahkan seorang wanita tua bernama Phoenix Jackson yang menempuh sebuah perjalanan ke kota demi sebuah obat yang dapat menyembuhkan penyakit cucu laki – laki semata wayangnya. Cerita ini dipenuhi tulisan berbobot yang menyematkan kerincian sebuah situasi di dalam cerita pendek tersebut dengan seorang karakter utama yang memiliki kualitas rumit. Situasi yang hadir di dalam cerita menjadi tantangan bagi Phoenix, serta menjadi media untuk memaparkan kualitas yang dimilikinya. Oleh karena itu, peneliti melakukan penelitian ini melalui kedua unsur intrinsik tersebut sebuah tema dapat ditemukan.
Demi tercapai tujuan penelitian ini, peneliti memrumuskan dua pertanyaan sebagai pembatas. Pertanyaan yang pertama mempelajari dan menjelaskan penyajian seorang karakter utama and situasi di dalam cerita. Sehingga kita memperoleh pemahaman yang baik terhadap keduanya dan menjadi lebih dekat dengan tuajuan penelitian. Pertanyaan yang kedua mengacu pada penemuan tema, karakter utama, dan situasi di dalam cerita disatukan oleh satu ide. Akhirnya analisa menghasilkan sebuah kesimpulan.
Peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian berbasis pustaka. Dengan begitu sumber data yang terpercaya, baik buku maupun internet, digunakan untuk memaksimalkan proses penilitian. Buku – buku tersebut mencakup cerita pendek “A Worn Path” sebagai sumber data utama dan buku – buku teori yang dimanfaatkan dalam penelitian ini. Sedangkan sumber data yang berasal dari internet digunakan sebagai pelengkap ketiadaan data yand dimiliki oleh buku.
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of The Study
One of many forms through which people express themselves is literature. They express their feeling, thought, and experience of particular event of everyday encounter or overwhelming experience of war that they are involved in. In describing their experiences authors often matter details, be that a tingly of wind blowing at the back neck or the terror of bombardment of mortars at war into literature, into poems, novels or short stories. Those literary works instantly conjure up a long lasting impression on readers, as Hudson states in An Introduction to the Study of Literature(1963: 10).
Literature is a vital record of what men have seen in life, what they have experienced of it. What they have thought and felt about those aspects of it which have the most immediate and enduring interest for all of us. It is thus fundamentally an expression of life through the medium of language. It is important to understand to begin with, that literature lives by virtue of the life which it embodies.
requires dedicated mind to discern. Also it will not be found explicitly in one of the paragraphs rather it must be examined throughout entire the literary work (2011: 12).
In order to discern the theme of literary work intrinsic elements have important roles. Stanton suggests readers to possess a clear idea of the characters, the situation, and the plot, also events that occur or objects that author reveals in the story (Stanton, 1965: 21). The situation in Stanton’s statement refers to the setting. However, the literary work that is discussed has thick description of setting. Two intrinsic elements, characters and settings, are picked by the researcher toward the achievement of the theme. Characters have motivation and expected impression that author want their readers to see in them (1965: 17) while the setting helps the readers grasp a description about the situation or the mood that is unearthed in the story. To separate the setting and the character is an ignorant deduction because both of them are connected. In An Introduction to Reading and Writing, Roberts and Jacobs state that the characteristics of the characters can be influenced by the setting in a story (1987: 218).
The story begins with Phoenix Jackson, an old African - American woman with significant appearance takes a journey through certain route in the coldness of winter with obstacles that are assuredly difficult for an old woman to get the medicine for her sick grandson. She who has slow steps of an old woman deals with those obstacles one after another. The story describes the way she walks as slow and steady with the sound of thin cane hits gently the ground. In the oaks she manages to set herself free of the thorny bush and mounts over a log that lies in the middle of her route. Off she goes pass through withered cotton field into dead corn field where she meets a scarecrow that looks like a figure of person for an aged eyes of Phoenix from a distance.
Unto the swampy part with silver moss, she runs into a black dog and a young white hunter with a gun and his hunting dog. Then she arrives at the city with Christmas decoration. Cheerfulness of Christmas can be seen and felt throughout the air. She walks into a building in which she gets the medicine for her sick grandson. The nurse in that building recognizes Phoenix, because regularly Phoenix comes to the building for the medicine. Throughout the story it can be seen how the setting is thick with description and how Phoenix’s character dominates the story.
determination as its theme or central idea, as a result the topic of “The Theme of Resilience in Difficult Situations in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” is chosen. B. Problem Formulation
1. How are the main character and the setting depicted in “A Worn Path”? 2. How do character and setting contribute to the theme in “A Worn Path”? C. Objectives of the Study
The study is purposely written to produce a better understanding of the theme in relation to “A Worn Path” of Eudora Welty. Therefore two problem formulations are required to obtain the objective. According to the problem formulations, the researcher has to examine the main character and the settings that are unfolded in the story and get the depiction of both intrinsic elements as the first step. The examination includes the identification and study of which the story describes the character and the settings. Then to conclude the theme of the story, the researcher analyzes the character and the settings that have been identified and studied previously as the last step.
D. Definition of Terms
5
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A. Review of Related Studies
Regarding to related studies the researcher read into Prasnorini’s study, Revealing The Theme Through Characters and Setting: A Formalistic Study of Lois Lowry’s The Giver. In her study Prasnorini writes the theme ofTheGiver can be revealed through two intrinsic elements, characters and setting. In her analysis she identifies and examines Jonas who is the center of The Giver and other significant characters that have contribution to the story. Also the setting that she includes in her analysis is not only place and time but also customs, beliefs and social values. After the analysis of characters and setting to reveal the theme of The Giver, she looks into the relation of characters, setting, and theme. She examines the relation between characters and setting as well as the relation between characters and theme ofThe Giver. Thus she concludes thatThe Giver’s theme of Lois Lowry is “community can help its citizen to gain freedom physically as well as mentally but with a consequence.” As seen in the following quotation.
In another words theme of this novel is a perfect community does not guarantee its citizens feel comfortable and freedom as human beings. Seems, Jonas’ world is free from pain, suffer, war, crimes, but it is not free enough to decide what they want to be. It is contradiction, physically free but mentally bound (Prasnorini, 2005: 61).
to find the theme as a result of the analyzing the interrelationship of plot, main characters and setting. Unlike Prasnorini’s study, Nurhestianto adds one more intrinsic element besides characters and setting which is plot. Nurhestianto entitles his studyThe Interrelationship of Plot, Main Characters and Setting to Reveal the Theme in Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage.However he also analyzes the relation of plot, characters, setting and theme. He explains that theme can be revealed through analyzing the relation between plot and characters, then the relation between characters and setting to plot. According to his analysis of relation among those intrinsic elements The Red Badge of Courage’s theme is “bravery become men’s dignity.” As seen in the following quotation.
From the explanation above, we can find a central idea in the story. Main characters as soldier try to show their bravery in the battlefield in the strory. Their actions, which show the way fo hiding their cowardice, may create the assumption they want to show their dignity as soldiers. As a result, bravery and dignity are close related to this story and then the writer concludes that bravery becomes men’s dignity as theme of Stephen Crane’sThe Red Badge of Courage(Nurhestianto, 2003: 53).
While Nurhestianto’s study involves three intrinsic elements, the researcher’s study involves only two intrinsic elements. Those two intrinsic elements are characters and setting, and excludes plot which Nurhestianto takes up in study because this study intends to reveal the theme through analysis the connection between characters and setting as Roberts and Jacobs’ statement in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing.
In addition to the previously mentioned related studies. The researcher also finds J.C. Bailey’s study relevant to this study. J.C. Bailey does analysis on Phoenix Jackson as the name of the character reveals her characteristics in relation to an Egyptian mythological creature, the Phoenix. He explains the mythological creature and then compares the character of “A Worn Path”, Phoenix Jackson, with the mythological creature, phoenix. Similarities are found between the two, for instance the physical appearance of the two. The mythological creature has scarlet and gold as their dominant colors, while Phoenix is described to be wearing a red rag on her head and her face has golden yet illumined yellowish color.
Phoenix’s appearance is yet another aspect of her likeness to the phoenix. At the beginning of the story, Phoenix is described as having a “golden color [running] underneath [her skin], and the two knobs of her cheeks were illuminated by a yellow burning under the dark” (Welty, par. 2). Welty further describes Phoenix’s hair as being tied back in a red rag” (Welty, par. 2). These images cannot be taken to be a mere coincident as the phoenix form the ancient Egyptian legend is described as having a beautiful read and gold plumage (Bailey, 2015).
similarity between phoenix’s legend and the story, he makes an analogy from Phoenix’s journey to a nearby city and phoenix’s journey to Heliopolis. That is what he concluded in his study.
Everything about Phoenix is indicative of the legend of the phoenix. Phoenix’s appearance, behavior, and the symbolism apparent throughout the story all point to the legend of the phoenix… Her repeated journeys reflect the “lifetimes” she has spent going back and forth from her home to Natchez – “Heliopolis” – with one goal in mind: to help someone who can’t help themselves (Bailey, 2015)
Bailey compares “A Worn Path” and phoenix, the Egyptian mythological creature’s legend and finds that they are similar. Therefore his study also implies that phoenix’s legend inspires Welty to write “A Worn Path”. In finding the theme, this undergraduate study takes up a different path from Bailey’s study, as it will not regard the legend as part of the discussion. It will only regard Phoenix Jackson as a character who plays an important role in the story.
B. Review of Related Theories
In order to answer the problem formulation, this undergraduate thesis uses some theories to analyze the concerned elements.
1. Theory of Character
In this theory of character, the researcher would like to use Abrams who state in his bookA Glossary of Literary Terms. He defines character as a person that is presented in a dramatic or narrative work. The reader interprets them as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities. They are expressed in the dialogue and the action (1993: 193).
a. Major character
This is the three-dimensional or more common word as round character. They reveal the bad and the good traits. They have goals, ambitions and values that change as the result of what happen to them.
b. Minor character
This is the two-dimensional or commonly called flat characters. They have only one or two significant traits. They are usually all good or all bad. (1993: 24)
2. Theory of Characterization
In Understanding Unseen, Murphy defines nine ways of make easier to understand the character (1972: 161-173). There are:
a. Personal description
It is the author’s description of a person’s appearance and clothes. The author describes the character in details; the face, skin, eyes, and the castaway’s extraordinary clothing, for example white man wears a knightly cloth
b. Character as seen by others
c. Speech
The author gives us a description of character or an insight into the character of one person through what the person says. The author presents some clues to character whenever a person speaks, whenever he is in conversation with another of whenever he states his opinion.
d. Past life
The author gives us keys or clues to any events that have helped to shape a person’s character so that we can learn something about a person’s life. This can be done a few ways, such as direct comment by author, through the person’s thought, through his conversation or the medium of another person.
e. Conversation of Others
Through the conversation of other people and the things they say about someone, the author can also give us the clues to person’s character. People do talk about other people and the things they say usually can give us a clue to the character of the person spoken about.
f. Reactions
g. Direct comment
The author can describe of comment on a person’s character directly. By giving comments explicitly, the readers will not be left in doubt to know what sort of a person he is.
h. Thoughts
The readers can know one’s character through the direct knowledge of what a person has in mind presented by the author. Here, the readers have a privilege position to come the inmost thought of a person in a story.
i. Mannerism
Knowing a person’s character by observing his mannerism, of habits that are given by the skillful author
3. Theory of Setting
Murphy, in Understanding Unseen, it suggests similar ideas except the weather that is suggested earlier by Kennedy and Gioia. Those are three points that need to be concerned in order to understand setting of a story. There are time, place and atmosphere as below,
a. Time
Murphy classifies setting of time into four. First, present time, the author writes the literary work based on surrounding event. Second, past time, is to go backwards in time. It mostly used to tell historical events. Third, future timeis to take readers with the author imagination into the future. The last, no specific time, is the moment that the author doesn’t give a specific indication of time in occurrence of events (1972: 143 – 145).
b. Place
Based on Murphy, the author assigns three kind of setting of place. First, the author uses familiar setting of place to the readers. The second, the author uses unfamiliar setting of place to the readers. The last, the author uses imaginary setting of place that no one familiar at all.(1972: 145).
c. Atmosphere
4. Theory of theme
Perrine, in Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense, defines the theme as controlling or the central idea of a fiction. It describes the life generalization that is stated and implied by the story. It means that the author tries to present that the theme is the idea of a story. The theme will happen when the author tries to explain the truth of life and to introduce a certain concept of life (1974: 49).
There are some principles to be considered when a theme is to be stated: a. The theme must be stated in a statement form and concern with the subject
and predicate.
b. The theme must be a generalization about life. To define the theme, the use of character’s name must be avoidable in order to lead into specific statement.
c. The generalization of the theme should not be larger that is justified by the term of the story. The use of terms like some and sometimes are more preferable than term like every, all, and always.
d. Theme is the central and unifying concept of the story. So the theme must be related to something that exists inside the story.
e. There is no one way of stating the theme of a story.
f. The theme should not be expressed in familiar expression or sentences because it will make essential meaning of the story not conveyed (1974: 107-109).
in the process of reading (1996: 497). Which means the author finds theme for the first time as whole, and then the author put it into text through writing, later it can be gained by the readers while they are reading the story. The readers need to read thoroughly on the author’s elaboration of the truth of life or the concept of life throughout a story as Perrine stated (1974: 49).
According to Kennedy and Gioia there are several things to be considered in order to find a theme of a story. As they write in An Introduction to Fiction they suggest: (1) Does the character change over the course of the story; (2) Does the character left the readers with any realization or understanding; (3) Do the characters make any general observations about life or human nature; (4) Does the story have significant setting description; (5) Does your statement of theme hold true of the story as a whole (2010: 185). It is clear that Kennedy and Gioia highlights examining some intrinsic elements can lead to find the theme in the story.
5. Relation of Character, Setting and Theme
shaping the theme and it also mirrors general mood signals of the existing atmosphere as in theirDiscovering Literatureas the following quotation,
…the setting plays a major role in shaping the characters, the action, or the theme of a story… The setting may mirror a prevailing mood… the setting of a story often shapes character. It helps make people what they are (1997: 35-36).
In line with Guth and Rico, Rohrberger and Woods have similar statement concerning intrinsic elements, character and setting. They state that there is a close relationship between character and setting. Commonly, the characteristic of a setting in a story may influence the characters. It can even be inferred that the characteristic pattern of a person will be formed by the condition of his environment. The setting never exists by itself. It explains the characters and situation and influences the atmosphere (1971: 22).
In addition Cleanth Brooks suggests a principle of organic relationship. He suggests that each part of the story is related to each other. As intrinsic elements related to each other in the need of a story to be becomes a good story. The character, the setting and the theme are needed to form a good story as well as other intrinsic elements. The quotation below reflects the earlier principle that Brooks suggests,
But the elements of fiction are related to each other, not as blossoms juxtaposed in a bouquet, but as the blossoms are related to other parts of a growing plant…the flowering of the whole plant, and needs the stalk, the leaf, and the hidden roots. (Brooks, 1998: 758)
providing a clear scope. With this in mind the two intrinsic elements are sufficient to contribute in concluding the theme of the story, especially in the story with a dominant character and a thick of setting’s description.
C. Theoretical Framework
There are several stages taken in this study. Its stages reflect the process of finding the answer to the problem formulations in chapter one. To answer the first formulated problem the researcher used the theory of character. The theory of character enables the researcher to analyze the major character as depicted in the story. The theory of characterization is used in analyzing the action and speech of the main character in “A Worn Path”. The purpose is to identify Phoenix’s feature that lead to the finding of the theme or meaning. This deepens the understanding of the characters within story.
17
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
“A Worn Path” is an American short story written by Eudora Welty in 1940. It was first published at The Atlantic Monthly, an American literary and cultural magazine in 1941. At the same year the short story wins the second place of O. Henry Award. In 1994 “A Worn Path” is filmed into short film entitled Eudora Welty: A Worn Path and is directed by Bruce Schwartz. The film wins several awards such as Silver Apple of National Educational Media Network and Silver Award of Fort Lauderdale Film Festival WorldFest Houston.
The story of “A Worn Path” is about an African-American old woman who takes on journey. Her purpose is to get the medicine at the city for her sick grandson. She passes the shortest yet, encounters a lot of obstacles. Her journey is cold, long and hard through woods and fields. The obstacles within her route are the people that she encounters and the nature.
B. Approach of the Study
This undergraduate thesis employs New Criticism as the approach. New Criticism which certainly views the literary work as none other than a different form of language has the relevance to scientific language or philosophical language is at minimum, as Holman wrote inA Handbook of Literaturebelow,
Furthermore, the New Criticism are the study that puts forward the unity of all elements and words meaning (Abrams, 1993: 247) as it only focuses on the text, and expels the influence of the author (intentional fallacy) and the readers’ possible personal assumption in their mind (affective fallacy) as the analysis take a place. In other words New Criticism directs the one’s critical attention to analyzing the text. It leads the one reaches a depth of understanding in the close reading of the text without influence from either the author or the reader itself.
In order to obtain a proper analysis and produced a fine conclusion after considering the focus of this undergraduate thesis, this approach is chosen because the study takes a scope to examine Phoenix Jackson who is the only main character and the setting which is written with detail description in “A Worn Path”. These two elements signal the residing theme and that is the study researches to be discovered.
C. Method of the Study
Library research is used in this undergraduate thesis to help the analysis. Library research is gathering information from books and other references to find theories to support the study of the undergraduate thesis. Obviously the primary source is the short story “A Worn Path” of Eudora Welty. The secondary source was some books that considered as references and some reliable sources from internet.
20
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS
In conducting the analysis to answer the problem formulations in the first chapter, the researcher applies the problem formulations as guidance. Based on the problem formulation, the analysis is expected be divided into 2 subchapters. Rather 3 subchapters are preferred by the researcher to ease the analysis in the mean to be understandable. The first subchapter does analysis on characters in the story. This subchapter mainly discusses how the characters are described in the story. The second subchapter examines how the setting is described in the story. The setting examination searches for deeper understanding of the setting’s description throughout the story. Then, the last subchapter uses the answers in the first and second subchapter in the analysis to word the theme into statement that “holds true of the story as a whole” (Kennedy and Gioia, 2010: 185). Those subchapters may be divided into smaller section as it seems fit.
A. Depiction of the main character and the setting in “A Worn Path” 1. Depiction of the main character in the story
according to their significant traits. Two of them are named after their gender and the rest is named after their occupation. They are a white man, a lady, an attendant and a nurse. Those four characters are presented in the story as minor characters.
Phoenix Jackson is described in the story as a black woman or a African -American woman, to be precise. The author gives very detailed descriptions of her characteristics at the beginning of the story, starting with her physical appearance. She is very old and small in terms of age and size of body. She is depicted to have blue eyes to show signs of aging. Her skin has wrinkles as she is old and is obviously black as what African - American people would be. These wrinkles are described to look like branches of a tree by the author. In addition, the wrinkles on her face seem to form a little tree at the middle of her forehead. Also a golden color is visible underneath those wrinkles at her forehead. The author also mentions that a yellow color of burning flame in the darkness illumines the two knobs of Phoenix’s cheeks. In describing the hair, the author depicts her hair as not longer than her shoulders. Despite of the fact that Phoenix’s hair is unhealthy, weak, and fragile as an old woman’s hair usually is, it is still black. The researcher finds it rather unusual regarding her appearance of her black hair.
…She was very old and small…
hair. As for her body, a dark striped dress that reaches her ankle is worn by Phoenix. Along with that dress she wears a long apron that is equal by length with the dress and it is made of bleached sugar sack. On her hand she holds a thin small cane that is made of an umbrella. Her feet wear shoes which are left unlaced until a lady in town laces her shoelaces for her.
…with her dead tied red rag,… She carried a thin small cane made from an umbrella,… She wore a dark stripped dress reaching down to her shoe tops, and an equally long apron of bleached sugar sacks, with a full pocket: all neat and tidy,… which dragged from her unlaced shoes (Welty, 1994: 142).
Moreover the text also gives a description of how Phoenix Jackson walks. It is described very briefly but effectively at the beginning of the story. The description begins with how she walks. Like an old person she walks slowly, but steadily. Another detail in the text directs us to depict that she can’t walk in a straight line. She walks like a balanced pendulum of a standing tall wooden clock which swings periodically from left to right or right to left with a cane in her hand Old Phoenix wobbles ahead. It is just a little look like the pendulum move. Along with the steadiness of her walk, the author also describes how Phoenix uses her cane that is made of an umbrella to help her walk. The movement of Phoenix’s cane that described in detail adds a point to how steady she is walking, as Old Phoenix using the cane. It makes the noise that emits persistent and grave feeling. Despite the fact that the author depicts this steadiness of her walk to this extent, the unlaced shoes of Old Phoenix trample the steadiness as it may trip her from time to time.
clock…with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her. This made a grave and persistent noise in the still air, that seemed meditative like the chirping of a solitary little bird.
…but every time she took a step she might have fallen over her shoelaces, which dragged from her unlaced shoes (Welty, 1994: 142).
Those evidences depict the physical appearance of Phoenix Jackson, how she looks like and how she walks, that shows the characteristics of an elderly person as the author describes her at the beginning of “A Worn Path”. In stark contrast to that, her hair is not white, but black, as if her hair is not consumed by age. In addition the author enriches this description of Phoenix Jackson’s physical appearance through other characters’ expressions toward her. That Phoenix is old is confirmed by a white man, a minor character, who calls her “granny” (Welty, 1994: 145).
It is important to note that every other character recognizes her as an old lady, as shown from the following quotations,
He gave another laugh, filling the whole landscape. “I know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going to city to see Santa Claus!” (Welty, 1994: 145).
It strengthens the fact that Phoenix has an elderly appearance as the white man said word “old” and then she is a African - American as he said word “colored people”. Those words are presumably to suggest the author’s depiction of Phoenix as an old African - American woman at the beginning of the story.
Other than the white man, there is a lady that Old Phoenix meets at sidewalk, an attendant and a nurse at the health center who also call her an “old” lady.
clockwork. She lives away back off the Old Natchez Trace.”…(Welty, 1994: 147).
There is a familiarity that is expressed by the nurse is the accumulation of how frequent they, the nurse and old Phoenix, met. These frequent meetings allow the nurse to know old Phoenix the past few years. It seems that some of their frequent meeting is when old Phoenix goes to the room with a golden framed document in the health center building to earn the medicine for her sick grandson. However, the quotation above shows the particular word that refers to Phoenix’s appearance. That is “old”. Thus, the nurse acknowledges Phoenix as an elderly person. By putting the nurse into counts as the author’s effort to strengthen the appearance of Phoenix in readers’ mind, it is clear that Phoenix Jackson has the elderly appearance. Also the author makes the notion of the depiction of Old Phoenix as elderly person remain vivid to readers, as result of repeating those pattern via minor characters.
The researcher continues the analysis to extract the dispositional qualities or characteristic of Phoenix Jackson. Those qualities are found by the researcher throughout the story. Also those qualities relate to Phoenix’s determination to takes the journey up. The researcher found it by analyzing personal description, character seen by another, speech, past life and so on, in relevant to the character. a. Brave
succeeded to go through it. Even though it took up her time as she said in the quotation below,
“Glad this not the season for bulls,” she said, looking sideways, “and the good Lord made his snakes to curl up and sleep in the winter. A pleasure I don’t see no two-headed snake coming around that tree, where it come once. It took a while to get by him, back in the summer.” (Welty, 1994: 144)
Earlier the researcher explained the event that Phoenix Jackson encountered a scarecrow at the corn field in the section of adaptability. The fact is this event also shines her bravery quality. As told in the story, Phoenix encounter a scarecrow that she assumed at first as a ghost of a dead person, but then she finally found out that the ghost was a scarecrow. After she encourage herself to figure it out by touching the sleeve of the coat that wore by the scarecrow. As the following quotation: She shut her eyes, reached out her had, and touched a sleeve. She found a coat … (Welty, 1994: 144). Not only is the scarecrow event shows Phoenix Jackson’s capability to adapt, but also it shows her bravery. This kind of writing deserves compliments. Given the fact that it shows her bravery, the researcher finds other incidents that also show her bravery.
helped her is by lifted her up from the weeds and cast away the black dog with Pete, his dog, helps him. Succeeded in casting away the black dog, the white man came to Phoenix, after few talks the white lifted his gun at Phoenix. The gun didn’t make Phoenix flinched. Instead she faced straight with the gun and the white man. But then the white man asked her that if she scared of the gun. Phoenix answer with firm lines that reflected her past life experience as following quotation below,
She stood straight and faced him.
“Doesn’t the gun scare you?” he said, still pointing it.
“No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by in my day, and for less than what I done,” she said, holding utterly still (Welty, 1994: 146).
Referring to the quotation above, the author shows us that Phoenix has a fearsome past life and survives that life. Also this past life of her is the reason she chose to face the white man while being pointed with a gun. These conclude the analysis to uncover the dispositional quality of bravery that Phoenix Jackson possesses, as she stands up to both incident of the fear in doubt at the corn field and the fear in life or death situation that is dealt by the white man.
b. Compassionate
easing the suffering of her grandson. This action of her eases the grandson is an occurrence of compassion as she shows her sadness and sympathy, and intention to help therefore ease the suffering as her dialog with the nurse in the following quotation,
Phoenix spoke unasked now. “No, missy, he not dead, he just the same. Every little while his throat begin to close up again, and he not able to swallow. He not get his breath. He not able to help himself. So the time come a around, and I go on another trip for the soothing medicine.” (Welty, 1994: 148).
In addition, the grandson already suffers from his sickness for long “Yes. Swallowed lye. When was it? – January - two, three years ago.” (Welty, 1994: 148). This indicates that Phoenix had been done the journey for long years or to be exact three years as the quotation above. Her compassion is big to endure that long time for the sake of her beloved grandson. That is how she has the quality of compassionate.
c. Persevering
The third dispositional quality is persevering. Phoenix’s perseverance quality is shown when she met the white man and the nurse. Each of them has a separate conversation with Phoenix, one has it at the side of the road near the fields, and the other one has it at the health care center. At least the things which both of them say in a conversation with Phoenix are the evidences to expose Phoenix’s perseverance.
that concerning her. His opinion of the answers to his questions is the evidence of Phoenix’s perseverance. As the following quotations, Phoenix answers: “Away back yonder, sir, behind the ridge. You can’t even see it from here.” and “No sir, I going to town.” (Welty, 1994: 145). Those answers reveal two things. Those are the place in which Phoenix has her life and the place in which she is heading to. Hearing those answers, the white man spontaneously states his opinion that the distance between both of those places is really far apart. This opinion of his is an evidence of the distance that Phoenix has to walk from her home to the town is really far apart, not to mention she walks the same distance when she heads back home from the city after she get the medicine. Although, the story don’t tell us the journey of her heads back to her home. Nonetheless that is the first evidence of Phoenix’s perseverance.
suffered, it also means that Phoenix has been doing the journey for the same length of time, as she does the journey whenever the medicine at her home runs out and the grandson is still suffering from the illness. That is the second and the last of Phoenix’s perseverance.
The evidence of the distance that Phoenix has to walk in order to reach the town and the evidence of the length of time that Phoenix has done those journeys from her home to the city back and forth as the nurse’s card board revealed are the solid prove of how persevering Phoenix is. In addition the fact that she also encounters obstacles every time she takes up the journey. Despite of those facts Phoenix completes those journeys with her old and fragile body. In words, she has the quality of persevering. The old and fragile body of her still can do the journey with the distance that needs to be covered and she has done it since three years ago, also those obstacles along the path.
d. Tough
log with shut-eyes that indicate her fear. She succeeded to cross it as the following quotation,
Putting her right foot out, she mounted the log and shut her eyes. Lifting her skirt, leveling her cane fiercely before her, like a festival figure in some parade, she began to march across. Then she opened her eyes and she was safe on the other side.
“I wasn’t as old as I thought,” she said (Welty, 1994: 143).
Then the next obstacle that appears before her is a dead corn field. She went into a dead corn field. Phoenix described the corn field like maze because the corn trees were taller than her, and as author described, there was no path to follow. This maze like dead corn field makes certain people have difficulty to get themselves out of the field. Especially, you are shorter than the corns and barely own a navigation tools to help you out, such as compass. However, Phoenix who is shorter than the corns and carries nothing that represents navigation equipment is able to get through the field as the quotation below,
Then she went on parting her way from side to side with the can red ruts. The quail were walking aroue, through the whispering field. At last she to the end, to a wagon track where the silver grass blew between the red ruts. The quail were walking around like pullets, seeming all dainty and unseen (Welty, 1994: 144).
an accumulation of experience facing guns which a critical moment of life or death situation. It is not merely pointed with gun, but the gun is gone off. The other resource of her toughness relate to her determination.
Despite of the facts that is revealed above, her toughness also is reflected on how she faces the obstacles within the length of time she has done the journey and the distance that she walks. Thus, she has toughness as one of her dispositional quality.
As the four dispositional qualities and physical appearance of Phoenix Jackson were examined and exposed by the researcher, it can be concluded that Phoenix Jackson has a physical appearance of a granny. Even though, she mysteriously has black hairs. This appearance of her is depicted by the author’s description and other characters’ opinion that present in the story. As for her dispositional qualities or features, she has four escalated qualities. Those are brave, compassionate, persevering and lastly, tough. In addition to that fact, those four qualities or characteristic relate to Phoenix’s determination considering how the journey is. This relation is explained in the analysis of the main character and setting that contribute to the theme of the story. These conclude the analysis of Phoenix Jackson’s depiction in the story.
2. Depiction of the setting in the story
a journey is a person or thing moves from one place to another. While, it is moving, it spends a decent amount of time in the process and reaches a particular destination regardless of the condition which it had been going through. The person obviously is Phoenix Jackson. The places, the time, and the condition in the journey refer to the environments and undoubtedly to the setting as far as the story concerned.
In the short story there was no blunt exposition of the year or a specific time is mentioned such as to when the story takes place, for example the author wrote “It was 1934, the freezing wind blows…”. There was no such thing in the story. The author writes a particular month that is December instead. Then it was followed by “a bright frozen day in the early morning.” (Welty, 1994: 142). Those evidences set the setting of time at the time of the story in one morning day within December. Concerning the Phoenix’s journey itself, the story moves the time getting closer to noon from morning. This was indicated by her cry “Sun so high!” (Welty, 1994: 143).
After the Phoenix’s cry, there were no other indicators of time setting that leads us to what the day of December the mentioned bright frozen day is, until Phoenix met the white man. The setting of time indicator that appears in the event of Phoenix met the white man helps the researcher to narrow down which the day of December that Phoenix takes the journey. That is one of the day approaching or the date of 25th December itself when people celebrate Christmas. The setting of
Claus who is a figure people believe only comes at Christmas time in December. This is the indicator that helps the researcher narrow the potential day of December that Phoenix takes. Furthermore, the same indication that showed in the story appears twice after the white man. It is in the moment of Phoenix arrived at the city and Phoenix’s conversation with the attendant. Chronologically those two events spouted Christmas time as the quotation below,
In the paved city it was Christmas time. There were red and green electric lights strung and crisscrossed everywhere, and all turned on in the daytime. (Welty, 1994: 146).
“It’s Christmas time, Grandma,” said the attendant. “Could I give you a few pennies out of my purse?” (Welty, 1994: 148).
Also, the quotation above that states Phoenix’s arrival at the city gives the researcher a clue that she arrived during daytime and her journey from her home to the city takes half-day. It was indicated by the following quotation: “…all turned on in the daytime…” (Welty, 1994: 146). When she arrived at the city she saw those electric lights turned on. The implication of those time indicators, “…December-“, early morning day, “Sun so high!”, “…Santa Claus!”, and “…Christmas time…” is that the whole event in the story happens during daytime of the day that is close to the date of 25thDecember itself.
of weather setting into picture in readers’ mind, a bunch of clues is there to be picked up.
Imminently in the Phoenix’s monolog uttering her relieved feeling is one of the clues as seen in this quotation “Glad this not the season for bulls,” she said, looking sideways, “and the good Lord made his snakes to curl up and sleep in the winter…” (Welty, 1994: 144). In this quotation Phoenix said winter which is a fine clue for indicating the story is set in winter. The other clue is in the event Phoenix encountered a scarecrow. The encounter enriched the description of weather in form of temperature information. When Phoenix tries to verify the figure in front of her is a scarecrow, she feels the coldness of winter (Welty, 1994: 144). The coldness is relevant to the winter and it even mentions ice to make it vivid enough to be grasped in mind. Hence the weather of the story is a clear cold day of winter and it is applied to the entire setting of place in “A Worn Path”.
combining the facts that are gained from analyzing setting of time and weather are to expose the atmosphere of “A Worn Path”.
As a reminder, the setting of time is the day that is close to the date of 25th
December during winter. It is winter when Phoenix sets herself in the first area of setting of place, the wilderness. In this wilderness area, the landscape is filled with hills that are encased under pine and oak woods. However, the pine and oak woods are not overlapped each other area as Phoenix said while she is in the place where the two woods meet at top of the hill, “Up through pines…Now down through oaks” (Welty, 1994: 143). Also there is a path that lies through the pine woods to the oak woods. At the oak woods there is a creek with a log on top of it.
However the next area has fence to border it from the wilderness area and two fields decorating it. These two fields are cotton and corn field and both of them are dead field (Welty, 1994: 144). This is caused by the winter. The plants are not growing during winter. Now that the fields are dead, farmers are not around to tend their plants. This fact makes Phoenix the only one walks through the fields and retains the lonely feeling of the previous three atmospheres. The other evidence is cabins that are left behind with “doors and windows boarded shut” (Welty, 1994: 144) by its owner. The lonely feeling hangs in this area as bulking it out with those evidences. Likewise the cabins let to arise the uneasy feeling as it is felt by Phoenix. While she passed the cabins, she said: “I’m walking in their sleep,” (Welty, 1994: 144). She is anxious as if somebody may come out of the cabins to give her unnecessary trouble to her. Other than the cabins the buzzard that sits on the tree at cotton field also is imbued with the uneasy feeling which is felt by Phoenix. The buzzard’s presence intimidates old Phoenix as she thinks the buzzard considers her as a prey (Welty, 1994: 144).
Lastly the town area which is Phoenix’s destination is the setting of place that arises completely different atmospheres than the other two areas. Nevertheless, there is a road that leads to the town area from the countryside area. That road is the one Phoenix used to get to the town area. Upon entering the outskirts, the atmospheres that strike in are convenient, lively and cheerful feelings. The three atmospheres are sourced by the oak trees that orderly line up at the side, the cabins with their smoking chimneys, and black children that are playing, also the church with its ringing bell. Those decors of the outskirts as if it’s welcoming Phoenix into the town area with the lively and cheerful atmosphere. The town area itself with its pavement, the store and decorations that is all over the buildings to celebrate Christmas imbues the atmosphere in the town area with the convenient, the lively and the cheerful feelings also. As for the building where Phoenix goes into and that it seems to be a health center or sort, it upholds the convenient atmosphere.
B. The Main Character and Setting Contribution to the theme of the story of “A Worn Path”
Phoenix Jackson’s attire somehow signifies that fortune is not her thing. The clothes she wears reveal the hardship of her life. Yet, the fact that she walks with a cane and her routine walks throughout the woods suggest that she is a woman of determination and courage.. The cane, however, is not of much help for her as she wobbles when she walks. Her physical description evinces that she is a fragile poor old woman. Though old and fragile, she has black hair under the red rag that she wears. Equally distinctive as her black hair, Phoenix has four qualities or characteristic that shows the way she manages her hardship throughout the story. The first one is brave. She shows this characteristic when she meets the white man who is a hunter when the gun incident happens. The second characteristic is compassionate, which is clearly shown in the relationship of Phoenix and her grandson, who has become her motivation to take up the journey. The third characteristic is persevering. The length of time that she has spent to walk the impressively long distance which she takes whenever her beloved grandson is in pain and she runs out of his medicine, and all the obstacles that she encounters and faces along the journey are the solid evidences of how Phoenix has the characteristic of persevering. The last characteristic is tough. Phoenix’s toughness is revealed as she encounters all the obstacles that she has overcome, within the length of time she has taken up the journey.
compassion toward her grandson. The grandson is the only family Phoenix has left. So she will do whatever she can for her grandson. The characteristics of Phoenix are the representation of how big her compassion toward her grandson is. Her bravery keeps her moving forward in the journey. While her perseverance and toughness helps her endure all those difficulties and obstacles. Consequently the determination comes of her compassion of her grandson and it is supported with her bravery, perseverance, and toughness in the journey that she has to go through alone. Gathering those determination, compassion, bravery, perseverance and toughness into a jar and blending them well the researcher gains Phoenix’s resilience. This resilience of her is the final quality that projects what Phoenix Jackson made of or rather defines her.
The setting of “A Worn Path” takes up the concept of a journey. The concept of a journey is constituted of places to go through, the span of time, and the circumstances that surround it. The setting of place in “A Worn Path” is divided into the wilderness area, the countryside area, and the town area. All areas are enclosed by the winter. Also, Phoenix does the journey within a day that close to 25th December. Integrating those facts of places, circumstances, and time, each
type of area raises several distinctive feelings. The wilderness and countryside area evoke the feeling of loneliness, uneasiness, creepiness and mysterious atmosphere. On the contrary, the atmosphere at the town area evokes lively, convenient and cheerful feeling.
what she has. Striving to overcome the obstacles that may obstruct her, she upholds with her distinctive characteristics. Relevant to her characteristics, the setting becomes not only the obstacles, but also the stage for her to prove that she strives with her determination and she puts her life at a stake to get herself the objective of the journey. The obstacles found in the harsh setting have highlighted her strong character and persevering determination. There is a point in taking the setting. It has become a device to emphasize her resilience.
As for the contrasting atmospheres that are presented in the story, they imply the concept of bittersweet in life. In the discussion, the bitter atmosphere that is largely present in the story is balanced with the sweet atmosphere that is significantly present. It suggests the idea of however the bitterness may tilt to unbalance the scales, the sweetness tilts it back to balance it.
Therefore, those tensions between old and young, hardship and comfort, cold and warm are finally resolved in the theme of the resilience solves difficult situations of Phoenix and her hardship, because those tensions are what Phoenix Jackson has gone through. She has been young as her black hair is hinted and experiences horrible things “…”No, sir, I seen plenty go off closer by in my day, and for less than what I done,” (Welty, 1994: 146), as well as pleasant things. Now she is old. She experiences hardship as she takes up the journey since three years ago for the grandson who is sharing the comfort of each other company with her in her recent days “We is the only two left in the world.” (Welty, 1994: 148).
For her beloved grandson later Phoenix returns to town, takes the same old ‘worn path’, suggesting an idea that the journey is not a one way journey, but a two-way-journey. As the story reveals, it is not the first journey that Phoenix takes, and the fact she takes the journey suggests that it may not be the last either as hinted in this quotation “… So the time come around, and I go on another trip…” (Welty, 1994: 148).
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CHAPTER V CONCLUSION
Within this chapter the conclusion of the analysis is presented according to the facts which are already exposed in the analysis section. Then, the researcher would provide a bit of review of those facts in order to give a clear statement as the conclusion. Then, the analysis of the main character and the setting depiction in the story provide the facts that Phoenix Jackson is an unusual black-haired old woman with vulnerability and poverty clinging to her appearance. She is also depicted as brave, compassionate, persevering, tough, and determined, also resilient. These characteristics that Phoenix owns are what she has to take up the journey. Her black hair contradicts with her age as old people commonly have white hair. It is a contradiction between young and old.
In shaping of the theme of “A Worn Path”, Phoenix who manages to overcome the obstacles that are provided in the journey despite her vulnerability and poverty can be seen as a inspirational figure to be learned from. Then, the setting becomes the device to emphasize her strong character, persevering determination and resilience in attaining the objective of the journey. As the researcher studies the two intrinsic elements, the complexity of the contrast between old and young and the contrast between hardship and comfort in the setting as a whole is governed by one unifying idea, which is resolved in the theme of resilience that is performed by Phoenix Jackson. This is based on the nature of her trip as she goes forth to take the medicine and back to give it to the grandson at her home through the ‘worn path’. Importantly this pattern of forth-back is cycled by the determined and resilient of Phoenix.
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APPENDIX
Summary of “A Worn Path”
