Old Love

A Worn Path by Eudora Welty centers around the theme of perseverance. The old lady overcomes many obstacles to get the medicine her son needs. She has a cane which conveys that she has trouble walking. She passes by a thicket that might contain animals and yells aloud to the animals to stay out of her way. Next, she has to climb a large hill to continue on the path, "The path ran up a hill." (Eudora, 224). Furthermore, she feels like chains are pulling at her feet, preventing forward progress. A little later, a thorn bush snags her dress. She must be careful to not rip the dress. Her next trial is stepping over a log, which at her age, is quite a hard feat to accomplish. She has to climb through a barbed-wire fence and pass through the maze, a field of dead corn with no path. She encounters a scarecrow, which at first, appears to be a ghost. Then, she is approached by hunter. The hunter points the gun at the old lady and she does not even flinch. She is not scared of anything. She reaches the city, and it is revealed what her motivation is. Her love for her grandson is what drives her perseverance.