The Quests Of Araby And A Worn Path - 984 Words

The Quests in â€Å"Araby† and â€Å"A Worn Path† Both â€Å"Araby† (1914) by James Joyce, and â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty (1941) pursue life through a journey. The protagonists, Phoenix Jackson in â€Å"A Worn Path† and Joyce’s narrator in â€Å"Araby,† embark on an errand out of love. In â€Å"Araby,† Joyce’s narrator develops an infatuation for Mangan’s sister. He laments, â€Å"I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood† (Joyce 200). He volunteers to pick up something for her at the Araby bazaar, but arrives as it is closing. The empty bazaar is Joyce’s narrator’s epiphany to realize how his errand is futile and leads him to scrutinize his infatuation with Mangan’s sister. Conversely, an elderly grandmother, Phoenix Jackson, strikes out on her errand in â€Å"A Worn Path† by making her way through the woods toward Natchez. She must fetch medicine on her gran dson’s behalf which relieves his raw throat from an accident where he drank lye earlier. Phoenix overcomes numerous obstacles, even forgetting why she made the long trip, but does procure the medicine. Both Jackson and Joyce’s narrator have a mission to fulfill, but Jackson is successful, and the Narrator is not due to different maturity levels. Love is the common reason that both protagonists undertake their respective journeys that begin with hope and optimism. In â€Å"Araby,† the Narrator confesses his adoration of Mangan’s sister: â€Å"My body was like a harp and her words and