"The Worn Path" by Eudora Welty

While reading “The Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, I was immediately reminded of Cantos I and II of Dante’s Inferno, which I was required to read for world literature during my sophomore year. In Cantos I and II, Dante talks at great length about a metaphorical journey which he takes through the woods. Cantos I and II serve as an extensive allegory, drawing very precise correlations between one’s moral path in life and the path which the speaker was taking through woods. As the speaker in Inferno climbs trudges through dark woods and marches dutifully up steep hills, the reader also understands that Dante is referring to difficult and challenging periods in one’s life in which his or her character and quality are challenged. In a similar manner, the old woman also encounters many obstacles along her path to retrieve the medicine. For example, the old woman reaches a large incline and remarks, “Seems like there is chains about my feet, time I get this far… Something always take a hold of me on this hill—pleads I should stay” (Welty, 224). In reading this, the reader is able to unearth a nearly identical symbolism to that in Inferno- that is, a steep hill in one’s literal journey through woods is metaphorically referring to difficult and troublesome times in one’s life, regardless of the cause of this struggle. Furthermore, just as Dante encounters gruesome beasts along his journey which symbolism detrimental qualities such as avarice and greed. The old lady encounters fearsome obstacles along her course as well, such as a cruel huntsmen who points his gun right at her face. Nevertheless, the old lady’s determination to retrieve the medicine for her grandson transcends her intimidation just as Dante’s determination to seek the “right path” overpowers his fear of the beasts he meets along the road.

Perhaps the most potent similarity I drew between “The Worn Path” and Dante’s Inferno lies in the comparison of Dante and the old lady’s motivation in making the trek on their foreboding paths. Dante encounters the poet Virgil in the story, and Virgil notifies him that he was sent as a guide to Dante on behalf of a woman named Beatrice, who was Dante’s love. Therefore, Dante’s love for Beatrice serves as his means of guidance and motivation as he faces the challenges of escaping the woods and traveling through Hell. Ultimately, this piece of the allegory symbolizes how those a person loves often act as motivation to bear suffering and struggle through overwhelming challenges. In the same manner, the old lady in “The Worn Path” also stumbles persistently along her path for the sake the one individual in the world whom she loves the most: her grandson. In fact, if the grandson was truly dead, the stories would become even more similar in that both characters were enduring the long trek in the honor of a loved one who was deceased. Ultimately, both stories’ implementation of powerful symbolism allows their respective authors to convey the central themes of the story effectively.