A Worn Path

"Is the grandson really dead?" I can see why someone would ask this question after reading the story. Phoenix annually walks numerous miles to town to get medicine for her sick grandson. After meeting different people, like the hunter who helps her out of the ditch, she always explains her situation and why she walks that far. I think if her grandson was dead, she wouldn't be walking. Taking a look on the other side, she could be walking to cope with the death of her grandson. It could be a way to remember what she had to do with him.