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,
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
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).
"Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston and "Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men" by Zora Neale Hurston are two distinct stories that display the author's writing style and literary devices. Both stories are written in the first-person narrative, which provides the reader with an intimate insight into the characters' thoughts and emotions. However, the language used in each story is different. "Sweat" is written in a dialect that reflects the language spoken by the African American characters in the story, while "Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men" is written in a more standard English language, reflecting the author's education and training.
When someone is put into a situation of whether to save someone they love that have been treating them poorly or to ignore them, I think that some people would ignore it. In this short story “Sweat” written by Zora Neale Hurston, Delia and Sykes are married couple for fifteen years. Delia had the choice of helping her husband that was bitten by a rattlesnake, which he deliberately set it up to frighten and get rid of Delia, or to ignore his cry for help. Sykes would physically abuse Delia. For a married couple, Sykes went against his vows.
The flowers that Delia planted—full of love, youth, and innocence—symbolizes her new marriage with Sykes—but when Sykes begins to abuse her, she starts to sweat. This sweat tainted and killed her flowers and her marriage. Because Delia releases sweat—the poisons of the social system—from her body, she remains pure; the poison does not infect her. Sykes, on the other hand, is possessed by evil because as a lazy, philandering husband, he does not sweat, so this toxin contaminates his soul and eventually kills him. Thus, the title “sweat” illustrates the struggles Delia survived because she was ultimately good and the poisons Sykes died from because he was ultimately
In the nineteenth century, woman had no power over men in society. They were limited in their freedom, as their lives were controlled by their husbands. Some women did not mind this lifestyle, and remained obedient, while some rebelled and demanded their rights. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, are short stories that exposes the lifestyle women lived in the nineteenth century. The protagonists from both stories, Jane and Georgiana, similarly lived a male dominated lifestyle.
After reading a ton of short stories this semester, the story that I remember the most is “Sweat” by Zora Hutson. The short story “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, written in the 1920s, is a female empowerment story about a woman overcoming her abusive husband. Set in central Florida, it is a tale that revolves around protagonist Delia and antagonist Sykes. Many stories like this one, shows the famous battle of good vs. evil, Delia shows the side of good, while Sykes represents evil.
Addiction is a complicated and challenging condition that affects millions of people around the world. The consequences of drug addiction can be devastating for individuals and for society. Addiction can cause numerous health issues, and changes to personal life with friends and family. The play “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage highlights addiction, her characters Tracey and Brucie both face addiction after traumatic experiences. The play “Sweat” calls attention to the challenges that people and families dealing with addiction face.
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.
“Sweat” starts by indirectly describing Delia as a hard-working, Christian woman. She washes the clothes of white people and is very successful. Despite 15 years of marriage, Sykes, her husband, refuses to acknowledge that she is the bread-winner, and often abuses her because of that; along with the fact he despises white people, and their clothes are in the house. For the most part, Delia was submissive to Sykes, and put up with his antics, until one day she took hold of an iron skillet in defense of a threat by
While reading, it becomes evident that Delia is a good person. Not only is she good, but she holds strong to her religion. She is always putting others needs before her own. Delia does not only work to support herself, but works to support her husband and his mistress. “’Mah tub of suds is filled yo’ belly with vittles more times than yo’ hands is filled it’”
“The Yellow Wall-paper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s and “A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner are both short stories in which both female characters share an unstable psychological condition. In each story, the female character loves their husbands but is oppressed by them in their role of being a stereotypical woman. In the early eighteen and nineteen hundreds, females were expected to become dependent on men for their livelihood, which at the times lead to depression and hysteria of being a submissive female. The male characters were seen as being inferior between the women.
Ah been married to you fur fifteen years, and Ah been takin’ in washin’ for fifteen years. Sweat, sweat, sweat! Work and sweat, cry and sweat, pray and sweat!”(Hurston 2,17). The Sweat is the result of Delia 's diligent work, and without it there is no support system. It also stands for her hard-working attitude and how she has attempted to influence her work as best as she can, it is a vital piece of her life.
She takes an iron in her and stands up to her husband. Sykes being the cowered he is, realizes simply bullying Delia
