Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston Essay

Published in the early 20th century, the short story “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston was one of her most popular works. Meant to tell a story on Hurston's perspective towards gender, she introduces the two main characters, Delia and Sykes, who are in an abusive relationship. Delia is described as a hardworking wife who supports her unfaithful partner Sykes, who on the other hand is abusive and deceptive, spending more of his time and money with his mistress. Nevertheless, Hurston uses this unique character plot to express her thoughts on gender during this time period.

Throughout the story, both characters' attitudes change significantly toward each other. Near the beginning of the story, Delia, the wife of Sykes, is portrayed as submissive,

During this time period, women's stereotypes of being forgetful, emotional, responsible, and the desire for a traditional life all correlate to those Delia felt in the story. In the text all Delia wanted was “peace and quiet, women to forget all those things they don’t want to remember, [and most of all] a husband to share her time with,” to help her forget about her traumas with Sykes eventually leading her to stand up against him (Hurston, pg.4). However, for starters, we must find the ideas that led to the mass movement of the Harlem Renaissance. The basic movement of the Harlem Renaissance can be described as a time period when many young African Americans sought to challenge racist and gender stereotypes by celebrating their cultural expressions. Additionally, beginning in New York and taking movement across America, many African Americans across the nation challenged new techniques in literature; one of which leading to this story by Zora Neale Hurston challenging the view on gender at the time. Hurston's literature, as well as other African American writers’ literature, had an impact on major issues in society during this time using the Harlem Renaissance movement to help pass along their views to larger audiences. Still, as much as Zora Neale Hurston had an impact on literature during the Harlem Renaissance and Modernism era, the impact “Sweat” had on gender is still used in modern society to show how gender stereotypes have changed over a