It Still Makes Me Think of Arizona...

Question 6: A Worn Path

Okay, I have to admit, when I read the ending of this short story, I thought Phoenix's grandson had died too, just as the student who wrote to Welty did. The first thing that lead me to this belief was Phoenix's complete separation from the world; such as when she imagines "a little boy bringing her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it" or when she states "I'm an old woman without an education. It was my memory fail me," I began to think that she possibly has Alzheimer's and does not remember her grandson's death. Then I began to think about how she would leave him alone for the long stretches of time to go to the hospital; this to me does not seem like normal grandmotherly behavior. She acts as if she has left him all alone, while normally, sick kids are left with someone watching them. The final piece for me was "I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time...he going to last." This statement made me think that Phoenix wasn't going to allow herself to forget the memory of her grandson, as compared to forgetting his actual living, breathing existence. The author's response makes me think this is in the cone of reason (or is it meaning?) because she doesn't really say anything about the student being wrong. I believe her response means that Phoenix's perseverance and determination make the little boy seem alive, which makes her alive.