Theme

"'He suffer and it don't seem to put him back at all. He got a sweet look. He going to last.'" -"A Worn Path"

     The beginning of the chapter explains that theme exists for a specific purpose, which can be didactic, observational, or simply for enjoyment. For this unit, all of the stories seem to serve as a reminder of a common truth of life: pain and loss are inevitable, it is how one deals with them that determines their ultimate oulook. I chose the quote above because Phoenix Jackson, although clearly burdened with onset dementia or Alzheimer's or something of the sort, understands that truth better than the characters in the other stories. Her grandson may very well be dead already, and she is his primary caretaker, but she doesn't seem to let that bother her. She could fantasize about how he might be able to get some life-saving treatment, or how she could win the lottery, but that doesn't help her current situation. This theme is never outwardly stated, but the conclusions imply such a purpose. As stated in the previous post, most of the endings were somewhat unexpected to me. I have to admit, they were a little more melancholy than what I thought I would get based on the elements leading up to the climax. So, emotion plays a large role in understanding the theme as well. I hoped for the characters to take a certain route, and when they didn't, it created sympathy or frustration. Emotion lent itself to me relating better to the characters and understanding their plights.