In “Everyday Use,” readers can attach themselves to the story because they are experiencing it through the mother’s eyes: “Maggie smiled maybe at the sunglasses. In contrast, Walker uses the character of the mother as narrator which allows for more emotional depth. For instance, in A Worn Path,” Phoenix hears dogs fighting and a gunshot but remains stoic: “But she was slowly bending forward by that time, further and further forward, the lids stretched down over her eyes, as if she were doing this in her sleep” (67). This is due to the fact that Welty utilized a third person point of view, requiring her to use words that lacked emotion so as not to detract from the protagonist’s feelings. When comparing the writer’s tone in these two stories, it is clear that Welty used a formal and deep tone while Walker used a light and soft tone. Unlike Welty’s story, Walker does not provide insight into her character’s personality or individuality beyond being depicted solely as a mother without desires for herself. However, even though she portrays herself as an individual with power and strength over her two daughters, she remains weak due to financial circumstances that limit her abilities. This reveals her qualities as an individual and a mother to her children. My fat keeps me hot in zero weather” (Walker 444). I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man. In winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. In real life, I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. As the protagonist of the story, her perception and perspective are important to its development. On the other hand, Walker’s story does not give the mother a name. Despite struggling to achieve her goal – getting medicine for her grandson – Phoenix perseveres. Welty portrays Phoenix’s mind as hasty despite her physical weaknesses. The author develops an image of old age and weakness however, despite these aspects, there is irony and parallelism between old age/hastiness and weakness/struggle. The conflict does not stem from Phoenix’s character but rather how she handles situations around her. She was very old and small and she walked slowly in the dark pine shadows, moving a little from side to side in her steps, with the balanced heaviness and lightness of a pendulum in a grandfather clock” (64). The character’s name, Phoenix Jackson, is revealed along with her physical, mental, and emotional attributes. The narrator of “A Worn Path” establishes the setting from the beginning of the story, which helps to develop the protagonist’s character. Despite this fact though, Walker thoroughly described each situation and location creatively and in detail. Therefore there is no consistency in her story’s setting. Welty conveyed her setting normally and accurately because it only has one part -the house- while Walker developed different parts of her story’s setting through various situations as an old woman travels. There are no real windows, just some holes cut in the sides like portholes in a ship but not round and not square with rawhide holding up shutters on the outside” (445).
It is three rooms, just like the one that burned, except the roof is tin they don’t make shingle roofs anymore. “I have deliberately turned my back on the house. Unlike Welty, Walker made the house a significant place where conflict, climax, and resolution emerged and developed. On the other hand, the story Everyday Use” discusses the narrative’s setting in a constant place – the narrator’s house. The sun made the pine needles almost too bright to look at, up where the wind rocked.” The author provides vivid descriptions of each location that the old woman passes through. As described by the author, “On she went. Even when tired, she stores her strength and uses it when needed. Despite having to travel for hours, it is a weekly routine that she endures in order to save her grandson’s life. The story A Worn Path” takes place on the streets that the protagonist travels through in order to reach the clinic and obtain medicine for her grandson.
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