Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston Essay

Perhaps the most important event in the story occurs when Sykes brings home a huge six-foot living snake. Fear once again overcomes Delia and she pleads, “Syke! Syke, mah Gawd! You take dat rattlesnake ‘way from heah! You gottuh. Oh, Jesus, have mussy” (360). Sykes, on the other hand, stands in amusement almost as if he loves to see Delia psychologically abused. His cockiness unravels as he acts like he is invincible and like anyone and anything should and will comply with him. In regards to the enormous snake, Sykes boasts, “…He wouldn’t bite me cause Ah knows how tuh handel ‘im” (360). He makes sure to instill fear into Delia by telling her to be careful because the snake would have no problem coming after her. Hurston also has Sykes portray his own death. In this same scene, Sykes’ reply to

“A battered woman can only endure, and only God can save her - if God will”(Carter 616). In “Sweat”, by Zora Neale Hurston, Delia, the main character, is trapped in an abusive relationship. No one in the town is willing to help Delia get out of her relationship. Delia has had to become a source of strength for herself, but if she wants to be saved, she will need God’s help. Delia faces many struggles and through it all tries to remain a woman of God. Eventually, she becomes an example of the Passion of Christ by suffering and triumphing over her hardships (Banks 3). Delia is a strong Christian woman, and there are many Biblical references throughout the story. In fact, Christian symbolism can be seen throughout Zora Neale

Missie May was slowly regaining the position she once held in the relationship. In "Sweat," the power dynamics started off a bit differently. Sykes seem to have all the power in the household, as he did come and go as he pleased and beat Delia considerably. Hurston begins "Sweat" by illustrating Sykes' dominance over Delia. Delia is in a submissive position on her knees while Sykes is towering over with a whip. Delia is frightened because she believes the whip to be a snake. The whip is described as "something long, round, limp, and black"(Sweat 1491) which creates the illusion of a penis. Delia's feeling for the one-eyed snake, the whip, equates to her sexual desires to Sykes. But throughout the story, time and time again, Delia attempts to grasp some power. When her house becomes threatened, she stands up to Sykes. This is such a surprise to him that he doesn't beat her as he usually would, he instead leaves. The story does leave one wondering how much power Sykes really has in the town. He parades around town with his mistress. He beats on his wife and tries to woo every woman he sees. These are all points brought up by the townspeople themselves as they complain about him. They even talk about killing the man, but they continur to remain at a distance and watch everything he does. Can one really argue that Sykes isn't powerful in a town that allows him to do whatever he wants? But this power is, indeed,

Zora Neale Hurston’s short story "Sweat" takes place in the 1920s in a small African American community in southern Florida. The story takes a look at a woman dominated by her husband, a common issue for many wives in the south during this time. Delia Jones, the protagonist in the story, is a hard-working woman who has bought her own home and supported her husband for fifteen years by taking in the laundry of white folks from the next town over. Delia’s husband Sykes does not value her or the work she does to support the both of them. Sykes has abused his wife for fifteen years and takes no shame in parading around his fat mistress for all to see. Sykes wants to get rid of Delia and take everything she’s ever worked for. Delia, though

     Zora Neale Hurston was a phenomenal woman. At the height of her success she was known as the “Queen of the Harlem Renaissance.” She came to overcome obstacles that were placed in front of her. Hurston rose from poverty to fame and lost it all at the time of her death. Zora had an unusual life; she was a child that was forced to grow up to fast. But despite Zora Neale Hurston’s unsettled life, she managed to surmount every obstacle to become one of the most profound authors of the century.

Symbolism is often utilized in literary pieces to help express an idea and reveal a deeper meaning. In Zora Neale Hurston's short story "Sweat," the main character, Delia, is a victim that suffers from her husband Sykes' cruelty and abuse. The symbols of clothing, sweat and snakes play a major role in "Sweat" and reveal hidden meanings (the truth) about the two characters Delia and Sykes.

The snake in the story symbolizes evil which portrays domestic violence. Sykes tried getting rid of Delia so he could go and be with Bertha, his mistress. He knew how afraid Delia was of snakes so he decided to bring one home. “Then, moved by both horror and terror, she sprang back toward the door. There lay the snake in the basket!” (Hurston 8). He really wanted the snake to bite Delia so he could get rid of her. Leaving the snake in the basket where he knew was the easiest place for it to bite her. Sykes knew that the snake would bite her. He was pure evil. The snake however did not bite Delia but it bit Sykes. “He crept an inch or two toward

Sykes uses the snake to scare Delia, and this demonstrates his evil ways. In two instances Sykes uses the whip and the snake to terrorize Delia. The first instance is when he rubs the bullwhip on Delia to scare her, making her think it was a snake. Poor Delia is deathly afraid of snakes, and of course Sykes knows this, he then takes delight in using it to terrorize her. She screams at him with anger, "Sykes, what you throw dat whip on me like dat? You know it would skeer me--looks just like a snake, an' you knows how skeered Ah is of snakes” (621). The second instance is when Sykes decides to place a real rattlesnake just outside the front door of their house with the intention to frighten his wife, Delia. This is a great example of a biblical allusion like Satan forming into a snake in the story of Adam and Eve. It could be said that Sykes is acting as the Devil, trying to get Delia to leave her home. The snake is the symbolism that illustrates Sykes, and Sykes is an evil character. The name Sykes even has a weird pronunciation to it, kind of like a snake-like sound. Sykes is the snake, an abusive husband that cheats on Delia with Bertha, and does horrid things purposely to make her life difficult. Delia is the representation of a good character in the story. Throughout the story Sykes tries to antagonize Delia to do something that will cause her to leave the

Nora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” evokes the meaning of sacrificing all means of happiness to survive. With its analogies that depicts biblical connotations and Southern African- American origins, “Sweat” introduces problems within the African American community. This Harlem Renaissance literature dictates a young, black woman who has been deprived of her youth; she is forced to be the provider, and she is subjected to a loveless marriage. Delia, the unfortunate soul, is neglected by her husband, who seeks pleasure from elsewhere. She is overworked. As a result, she is seen to be mistreated by a husband who depletes all of her hard earned money on his selfish endeavors.

She has been beaten, disrespected, and worked to the max. She can not take anything else in, and can not stand to hear another remark from Sykes, which leads her to begin to defend herself, because she knows she should be treated better. Later in the story, Sykes brings a snake home, knowing that Delia fears snakes and can not bear them, but he brings it to taunt her anyways. Furthermore, when Sykes try to get the snake to bite Delia by leaving it in the hamper, it instead bites him instead, and he calls for help, but Delia does nothing. This was the one chance for Delia to be done suffering, because she had spent 15 years with Sykes abusing her, so she took advantage of it, ignored it and left him to die.

Since Sykes is the one creating these scare tactics to Delia, he can also be seen as a symbol of evil, which he becomes the evil antagonist of the story. These two instances could also be seen in the religious aspect with Adam and Eve.

Without that religious backbone she wouldn't have had the strength to endure Sykes for all those years. It also shows us how the power of god can helps us overcome many obstacles that life may throw at us. Sykes own abusive actions in the story winding up being his downfall in the end. The snake that he uses to try and kill Delia becomes the weapon of his own destruction. “The sun crept on up, and he called. Delia could not move--her legs were gone flabby. She never moved, he called, and the sun kept rising”(10).

How are Love and Hate Expressed in “Sweat” Throughout "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston, love and hate play a vital role in expressing the relationship between the main characters? These outlooks are observed differently by the personalities of Delia and Sykes. These character’s expressions are also influenced by civilization and religion. Love and hate are communicated in the plot of "Sweat" through actions committed by both Delia and Sykes.

In the Hurston’s short story “Sweat”, it represents how African American women are being marginalized by Men, Society and even at work. Hurston’s short story is about a African American women named Delia who is being tormented by her husband named Sykes. Throughout the short story shows how Delia survives to carry her work on her shoulders and dealing with her husband, how Sykes ruthless treats her. Second there is also how society marginalizes her appearances and her situation with her husband who would not do anything to cease the problem with the abuse. Last but not least, Delia deals with her work and how she does not have limits when it comes to her work yet she is expected to work out to her fullest. African American women are being downgraded, treated insufficiently unlike men who are not as excluded.

Summer has arrived in all its glory ad has brought a list of skin problems with it, especially sweating. Sweat is an odorless fluid secreted by the sweat glands. Yes, you read that right! It is odorless. But when sweat comes in contact with the bacteria covering the surface of our skin, an unbearable odor is produced. And you'd be surprised to know that the body part in which most number of sweat glands are concentrated, is your feet.