Symbolism of the Journey

Symbolism of the Journey

Introduction

From the titles, “A Worn Path” and “The Road Not Taken” the readers understand these short stories will take them on a literary journey however what they do not comprehend are the obstacles and choices the protagonists come across that includes dimension to the tale. The perceptions of the readers regarding the events are altered by the symbolism bounding the characters and the disagreements that are offered. “The Road not Taken” by Robert Frost is a complicated poem where the narrator arrives at a fork of the road and is enforced to make a choice on which one to tag along (Frost, 2002). He at last chooses the one not much travelled by. Here the two dimensions of the title are revealed to the readers. That is the road not much travelled by is the road not chosen by many. Once more, the title could represent the other road that the storyteller did not pick. Thus, it was the road not chosen. On the other hand, “A worn path,” is a distressing and pitiful short story penned down by Eudora Welty. This story is on the subject of an aged Afro-American lady. In the story the daring Phoenix makes an exhausting and treacherous trip to town to find medication for her grandson. Both the short story and poem are regarding two characters taking a trip and naturally, they have contrasting as well as comparable aspects (Welty, 1998).

Discussion

The Comparison

Both “A Worn Path” and “The Road Not Taken” have characters making a symbolic journey. The narrator of the poem has been traveling and has got to a stage where the road splits. The narrator is an explorer or we can say a traveler. Similarly, in the short story, the protagonist is in a journey to town. She is going from home all the way through the pines up the mount and down the valley (Welty, 1998). Thus, in both the story and the poem, the main characters are traveling.

Setting

It is apparent in both the works that there are certain decisions to be made. In the road not taken, the narrator is restricted to make a choice on which road to choose. The road moved away in yellow wood and therefore the narrator is not able to travel on both (Tischler, 2007). The narrator takes a lot of time to intensely examine the two roads. He is bound to prefer the one that was not very much travelled by. This choice, according to him, has caused a difference.

Phoenix, in the short story, “A Worn Path” is extremely straight forward and clear in her choices. She owns a clear mind in relation to her intent, actions and answers. At the time when the black dog appears she knocks him without vacillation (Höfer, 2003). While a white man comes out, he wishes to persuade her to return home. The man continuously tried to dishearten her from enduring her journey. This proves that she is stiff in her ...