Foremost, Phoenix Jackson has many dreams throughout the course of her journey. The gold seal she sees is symbolic of her most important dream, and represents all people's goals. It is attached to a document on the doctor's door, which she sees after climbing the long flight of stairs. "She entered a door, and there she saw nailed up on the wall the document that had been stamped with the gold seal and framed in the gold frame, which matched the dream hung up in her head" (638). The gold seal and frame not only represent her goal, but also show she i

Furthermore, along her journey and on the road to fulfilling her dreams, Phoenix faces many obstacles. The most manifest one is the hunter. He is extremely cruel to her because of her race, sex, and age. In one of his first lines of speech, he leaves no doubt that he despises blacks. "He gave another laugh, filling the whole landscape. `I know you old colored people! Wouldn't miss going to town to see Santa Claus!'" (637). He infantilizes Phoenix and thinks she is making the trip for no reason. Since he jumps to that conclusion, he tells her many times to go back home. He does not give this advice to be helpful but instead to show that since he is white, he has authority over her. When she does not listen, he gets mad and points a gun in her face. At this point, there is no doubt that he is racist. This incident is a demonstration of the way things were for all black people in Mississippi right after the Civil War in the late 1930's. She handles this adversity in an ideal fashion. She does not get mad or shy away, but instead confronts him and stands strong. Here, he tells her to go home and she responds: "I bound to go on my way mister" (637). She is neither afraid nor disrespectful, but simply tells him that she will continue. She could have simply turned back but is driven by her love for her grandson, and her desire is to get his medicine. There are not many people who would stand up to someone with a gun in the middle of nowhere for someone else's need. Another huge obstacle is the staircase in front of the doctor's office. It is the final stretch before she can complete her goal and is the part that requires the most physical exertion. Her determination and sacrifice are evident here. In real life, when trying to complete a goal, there is always something that seems impossible to overcome, but it is important to continue. For Phoenix, this occurs when

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Approximate Word count = 1260
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)