"A Worn Path"

I think that Phoenix is very conflicted with herself. She seems to have built up so much pain and awareness throughout the years. I also see a conflict with society. She is treated as inferior, and a bit crazy, not just because of her old age, but because of the color of her skin. The white man she comes across on her way into town, demonstrates one such example. He is respectful, but does not take her seriously. He points his gun at her, almost tauntingly - or as if to test her level of fear. I highly doubt he would have exhibited the same behavior had she been a white women of old age. 

It is also ironic, that at the story’s end, Phoenix is finally treated with a bit of compassion at the clinic. She demonstrates the ability to accept the harsh circumstances of her life, and go on. Whereas before, on her journey into town, her mind was pre-occupied with other thoughts (the animals, the smells, the sunshine).  Moreover, the path she is walking on is symbolic. It is not only worn because she herself has had to travel it so many times, but because it represents the path traveled by poor and oppressed people everywhere.