ipl-logo

Allusions In Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

427 Words2 Pages

Biblical Allusions in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat”
One prominent theme throughout the short story “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston is that resiliency can carry us through dark times. Hurtson shows readers this idea through biblical allusions, specifically the Jordan River and Jesus’ death. Hurston pays homage to Jesus, an important figure in the Bible. Delia’s husband Sykes often boasts about his mistress to the other villagers in their community. In the months when Sykes flaunted his infidelities around town “Delia’s work-worn knees crawled over the earth in Gethsemane and up the rocks of Calvary many, many times…” (4). This references when Jesus openly wept and was arrested in the gardens of Gethsemane; he also carried a cross on his back on …show more content…

However, her resiliency pays off in the end when Sykes’ evil deeds come back to bite him and Delia was still standing. In the Bible, the Israelites were advised by God to cross the Jordan in order to reach the land he had promised them. In this case, the allusion of the river first appears when Delia comes home from church with a hymn stuck in her head. She affirms its message into her mind by singing, “An’ Ah wantah cross Jurden in uh calm time” (6). Biblically, the Jordan River symbolizes adversity to conquer in order to reach happiness. In the story Delia’s marriage with Sykes is seen as a huge hardship in her life, however if she overcomes this obstacle she will be free. Her resiliency will lead her to the promised land. At the end, the rattlesnake Sykes brought into the home to scare Delia earlier in the story had gotten loose and started attacking him. She stood and watched him die because “...she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew” (7). This calls back to the Jordan River allusion that was mentioned previously. The river represents the difficulties Delia has faced in her relationship with Sykes, and at the

Show More
Related

  • What Is The Figurative Language In Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston is about a woman named Delia, a washerwoman who works long and back-breaking hours in Florida. Her husband Sykes does not work, yet he complains about Delia cleaning "white folks'" clothes in their home(603). Sykes constantly scares his wife of fifteen years by using her fear of snakes. The marriage is an abusive one; Sykes began beating Delia two months after marrying her. Observers in the town remark how the once Delia was once beautiful but now she has lost her shine because of Sykes.

    Read More

  • Symbolism Through 'Sweat'

    1070 Words  | 5 Pages

    Symbolism through "Sweat” Delia Jones is a hard working, Christian woman that has lived by two principles her entire life: work and sweat. Despite her husband, Skyes', cruelty, she keeps quiet in order to provide for them and keep a roof over their heads. The idea of good and evil in the characters is clear in the appalling story of Delia's abuse, the death of Skyes, and the struggle and survival of Delia at the end. In the short story “Sweat,” Zora Neale Hurtson uses symbols to represent how good wins over evil by using the title, Christian symbolism, and the concept of light versus dark. “Sweat”, referring to the hard work Delia displays, is important to the plot of good against evil because of the idea that she works to provide for her

    Read More

  • Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    669 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sykes wants to move his mistress, Bertha, into Delia’s house, but Delia will not give way to that. Sykes tries a number of things to remove Delia, including fear tactics and intimidation, but none will work. So he decides that he would have her die if she will not leave on her own. A large part of Sykes’ death is not being able to see the attacking rattlesnake in the dark. Prior to letting the snake loose, he took all but one of the matches from the house, for his mistress of course.

    Read More

  • What Is The Central Idea Of Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    704 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” and her essay “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” the African American social group is being represented in many ways. The texts have similar ways that African Americans are represented for the time period. The African Americans or “colored people” are represented in an aspect that comes from the author's point of view. The African Americans are represented as being unbothered, growing up in a closed community, playing the game with whites, and optimistic.

    Read More

  • Sweat By Hurston Essay

    1649 Words  | 7 Pages

    Gender Roles in the Hurston's short story ”Sweat” Imagine having to work tirelessly every single day just for one's money to get taken away by the person who is supposed to protect and take care of them. This is what happens to Delia, in the short story “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston. In “Sweat”, Deila constantly works to support herself by washing clothes and Sykes, her abusive husband, spends his time on other women. Delia gets mistreated by her husband Sykes and physically and mentally abuses her.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Faith In Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat

    96 Words  | 1 Pages

    The amount of torment one human can endure is amazing, and Delia Jones in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” isn’t exempt. She manages to hold together a home, work full-time, clothe and feed her extremely abusive husband. The question lingers; how can one continue to live in this kind of situation. It seems that for Delia, God plays a big part in her life, and Zora has appropriately left behind contextual references, symbols and representations in “Sweat”. Faith is a major theme utilized in the short story, while Sykes’ timely end rewards Delia for her priest-like patience.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat

    436 Words  | 2 Pages

    Zora Neale Hurston’s short story, Sweat, was written to empower women in abusive relationships. The story was written about a woman, Delia, who overcomes her abusive lifestyle with her husband, Sykes. In order to gain a full comprehension of the short story it is crucial that you have an understanding and are familiar with symbolism. Symbolism is a technique that Hurston used fluently in the writing of this short story. To understand the symbolism and the euphemisms helps you understand the true meaning of Sweat.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    1187 Words  | 5 Pages

    Historical criticism strives to cognize a literary work by examining the social, cultural, and intellectual context that essentially includes the artist’s biography and milieu. Historical critics are more concerned with guiding readers through the use of identical connotation rather than analyzing the work’s literary significance. (Brizee and Tompkins). The journey of a historical reading begins with the assessment of how the meaning of a text has altered over time. In many cases, when the historical context of a text is not fully comprehended, the work literature cannot be accurately interpreted.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Delia Jones In Hurston's 'Sweat'

    792 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sykes easily manipulates Delia because he knows she fears snakes and him. When Sykes brings home the snake, Delia tells Sykes to kill the snake when she says "now Syke, don’t keep dat thing 'roun ' heah tuh skeer me tuh death.  Thass do biggest snake Ah evah did see kill im Syke please" (par.4 pg5 ). Sykes is representing evil because he knows that Delia is scared of snakes, but he still brings one home.

    Read More

  • Symbolism, Imagery, And Irony In Sweat By Hurston

    530 Words  | 3 Pages

    In her story “Sweat'', through her use of symbolism, imagery, and irony Hurston underscores the idea that relationships can not flourish without equality among one another. One example of how she used symbolism to portray the theme is when the snake bites Sykes. In her story “Sweat '', Delia is married to a mentally and physically abusive man named Sykes. As Sykes is dying in their house, Hurston uses the Jordan River to give the reader an idea of what Delia is feeling: “She knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew” (7). This is the final sentence in the story, and it leaves the reader with the symbol of the cold river, which represents the death of Sykes as well as Delia’s relationship

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat

    752 Words  | 4 Pages

    While reading the short story, “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, I began to notice a set of symbols and ideas that were constant and that connected most of the important events in the story. Hurston created the largest amount of symbolism, in my opinion, through the rattlesnake that created conflicts of evil many times in the story and set a role of overall morals of fear and the concept of karma along with a whole range of associations beyond its main purpose. Early on in the story Sykes is viewed as evil through the actions involved with abusing Delia and seeing his mistress Bertha constantly. Sykes is not only physically and verbally abusive, but he is openly having an affair with this uppity, brazen woman. Delia provides all the income for herself and Sykes through washing clothes for the white town folk, which Sykes verbally abuses her for doing and still expects money from her which he then for spends on Bertha.

    Read More

  • How Does Zora Neale Hurston Use Imagery In Sweat

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat uses a plethora of imagery and symbolism to capture the anxiety, torment, and eventual relief the main character Delia experiences throughout the short story. It is mentioned numerous times that Delia has a petrifying fear of snakes, however, Hurston also uses the snake to symbolize Sykes, her abusive husband, and the venom he spits at Delia through the abuse. The bed Delia shares with her husband is anything but comforting for Delia; rather, it is where she is bullied by Sykes and where she has her epiphany of her failing marriage. At the end of the short story, Delia finds relief from the hot, Florida morning sun underneath her Chinaberry tree and waits for Sykes to die. The imagery of snakes, the marriage bed,

    Read More

  • Comparing Story Of An Hour And Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    1184 Words  | 5 Pages

    Louise and Delia What do most women want in a marriage? Is it hatred and an unfaithful husband? No! Women expect to have a husband who loves and cares for them.

    Read More

  • Zora Hurston Sweat Analysis

    676 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before I began reading, I tried guessing what the story was about. Only knowing that the title was “Sweat”, I thought the story might be about sports or hard labor. Then I opened up the story and the first thing I noticed was that the author’s name was Zora Hurston. I only found out that the author was female once I saw “her” in the section below describing her life and writing career. I found out other important things such as she lived in Florida, she wrote during the Harlem Renaissance (1920s), she died impoverished, and her work was eventually found by the women’s movement.

    Read More

  • Gospel Of Matthew Research Paper

    1682 Words  | 7 Pages

    In all the cities and villages: Seen in the passages of Matthew 4:3 and in Mark "and he went about the villages teaching" (Mark 6:6). The Pharisees looked for every reason to vilify Jesus and put a negative spin on his deeds and deny him. Jesus himself hurried to them, bearing them a twofold blessing: the gospel of

    Read More

More about Allusions In Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

Open Document