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The Role Of Conflict In Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat

622 Words3 Pages

The play “Sweat” is based on an excerpt from a story written by Zora Neale Hurston. The play takes place in Florida during the 1920’s. In the play, Hurston explores many issues facing black families at that time. The main character Delia faces numerous conflicts imposed upon her by her husband. The most dominant conflicts in the play are Delia and Sykes’ marital issues. The first marital conflict presented to the audience is Sykes’s disapproval of Delia bringing her work into their home. Sykes becomes angry when he comes home and sees Delia sorting her employers’ laundry. His reaction is to verbally abuse Delia and remind her that he does not want white people’s laundry in their home. Sykes also attacks Delia’s religious convictions by reminding her that it is the Sabbath and she should not be working on such a holy day. Delia responds to this by reminding him that her work paid for their home and put food in their mouths. She also states that if she does not start her work on Sunday she will be behind on Monday. She works hard everyday, and sometimes it takes a toll on her, also when she tries to have time to pray it is still a struggle for her because that is the time when she must accept the things she cannot change, even though she wants a better life for herself. …show more content…

Delia uses flowers to speak of what once was between her and Syke. Their relationship use to be different he use to love her and treat her right, but after they were married things drastically changed. She speaks of her marriage in comparison to a flower drowning in a salty stream. The salty stream could represent the tears that she has shed over the years, or it could show how everything has withered away because when a flower is subjected to salt water it shrivels up. So the author could of used the flower and salty stream to mean either of these things. Either way it shows her

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