What do we learn from the nurse over the course of the story, A Worn Path?

The nurse reveals information about Phoenix Jackson that the reader does not know during the course of her journey. Thus, her conversation with Phoenix is the climax of the story. The nurse, who represents society's general attitudes, displays some sensitivity towards the woman, assuring the attendant that "Old Aunt Phoenix... doesn't come for herself—she has a little grandson." Even so, the nurse treats the old woman with the same sense of belittlement that other characters in the story have. "You mustn't take up our time this way," she says, exasperated when the woman lapses into a spell of forgetfulness, "Tell us quickly about your grandson, and get it over." Like the other people on Phoenix's obstacle-course journey, the nurse prefers not to give Phoenix too much respect since she is old, African American, and a woman. Thus, in the nurse's eyes, Phoenix is not entitled to all the respect granted others in society.