A Worn Path

This narrative certainly has a arc to it as we get to know our character. And we get to know her both through  direct characterization and indirectly through her interaction with others.

In the beginning Phoenix seems like a lighthearted eccentric old woman, we assume at first the she talking a walk for her own gains. She mentions being caught multiple times, implying that she might be pursued. As she trudges onward she narrates her trek to herself, very much as we know old people do, making us assess how aware she is of her world. She certainly knows what is going on, but seems not to fully understand that she is speaking to no one, more than once she herself notes that her judgement is failing.

But our perceptions of Phoenix change when she meets the hunter, we see that she is keen and alert, very straightforward in her conversation, and cautious. She even seems to trick the hunter into distracting himself so she can take his dropped nickle.

But this new view of her is muddles when she gets into town and seems to have forgotten why she has come, we are reminded of her impending senility and view her once again as a rambling old woman. But we now have new evidence with which to frame her ramblings. Is she rambling on because she is old and doesn't care if she talks to inanimate objects or can't fully control her brain, or is she rambling to distract herself from the fact that she has a severely sick grandson at home?