Short Story Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston
There are many hidden messages Zora Neale Hurston’s short story, “Sweat.” Delia, the main character, is mistreated by her husband, Sykes. He abuses her and cheats on her; meanwhile she is working many hours doing hard labor to pay for the house. It becomes very clear that one theme of the story is about abusive marriages. Often, the meaning of some events are overlooked, but play a crucial meaning to the story. It is also important for the reader to understand the setting of the story to know what was accepted by the culture during that time period and location. In Hurston’s writing, we can see how Delia is able to work through her abusive marriage and continue to stand up for herself.
To begin, it is important to understand the setting of
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They are married, and it was obvious they do not get along. Sykes keeps abusing his wife hoping that she would leave the house to him and another girl, but Sykes pays no bills for the house. Of course, this infuriates Delia. Sykes then tries to have Delia killed with a real snake. It is extremely ironic when Sykes is killed by the snake he had set in place for Delia. This was fate playing in role of Delia because Sykes did not do any work for the house, or provide for his wife, so God takes care of the situation for Delia. Chuck Jackson, whose research is on twentieth-century African American short stories, “The end of Sykes is not merely the cleansing away of oppressive male violence, for what is Sykes but a clever troping off of the word psyche,” (Jackson 641). From this, Jackson is explaining how Sykes was not only an abusive husband, but also bringing out his inner man from that time period. Men were dominant in relationships in the 1920s and had full control over what happened. Abuse in marriages were not solved from the death of Sykes, but it helped Delia with her personal experience. It was fairly common back then for men to be abusive in their relationships, but all the women were able to do back then was work through it and let God handle the problem. This was the culture back then in the south and there was very little one can do to change that. Domestic violence, as bad as it is, was apart of their culture back then and was
Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis
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Similarities Between Sweat And Their Eyes Were Watching God
1678 Words | 7 PagesThis theme shows the usage of self determination when looking at one’s fate, rather than a divine power. This short story outlines an abusive marriage between Delia, a dedicated washwoman, and Sykes, a lazy and aggressive husband. Hurston’s characters may be said to represent the conflict of good vs. evil, as Delia is shown as hardworking and kind, while conversely, Sykes is shown as malicious and abusive. These circumstances help set the stage for Hurston's comparison of their personalities as it connects to their marital roles. Feeling exasperated over her husband's unprovoked aggression, Delia expresses her feelings, saying: “Looka heah, Sykes, you done gone too fur….
What Is The Central Idea Of Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston
704 Words | 3 PagesIn 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.
Theme Of Faith In Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat
96 Words | 1 PagesThe 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.
Analysis Of Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston
820 Words | 4 PagesIn the short story Sweat written by Zora Neale Hurston, she tells the story of a hard-working woman named Delia Jones and her abusive, cheating husband Sykes. Delia and Sykes are drastically different characters. Delia is an honest, church going woman, who cleans white people 's laundry to make ends meet and Skyes is a low-down womanizer who uses his wife 's income to support not only himself but also Bertha the woman he is having an affair with. After years of putting up with her husband 's mistreatment, Delia finally holds her ground. She defends her job with a skillet.
Lost Innocence In Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
1030 Words | 5 PagesIn the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, we follow our protagonist, Janie, through a journey of self-discovery. We watch Janie from when she was a child to her adulthood, slowly watching her ideals change while other dreams of hers unfortunately die. This is shown when Jane first formulates her idea of love, marriage, and intimacy by comparing it to a pear tree; erotic, beautiful, and full of life. After Janie gets married to her first spouse, Logan Killicks, she doesn’t see her love fantasy happening, but she waits because her Nanny tells her that love comes after marriage. Janie, thinking that Nanny is wise beyond her years, decides to wait.
Zora Neale Hurston Accomplishments
1526 Words | 7 PagesAll of this works symbolically as a measure of the characters ' integrity and freedom, which in turn demonstrates a contrast to the image of the carefree, ‘happy darky’ that prevailed in the fiction of many American novelists” ("Zora Neale Hurston. " Notable Black American Women). In the novel, Hurston explores the gender roles of African American women during this time period. It follow the story of a young lady named Janie, who was struggling to fit in the world.
Critical Analysis Of Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston
1187 Words | 5 PagesDuring this rough time period, segregation was common and prohibition was recently introduced. Along with this, many other social and political issues played a role in Hurston's "Sweat." Consequently, a historical background of the early twentieth century would be ideal in order for the reader to better comprehend and appreciate the work thoroughly. In this story, Hurston writes about Delia and Syke's work lives. In the early 1900's, approximately sixty percent of African American woman and about twenty percent of men were employed (Mclaughlin).During this time period, men felt that they were vastly superior over women.
Allusions In Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston
427 Words | 2 PagesBiblical 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).
Resilience In 'Sweat'
568 Words | 3 PagesIt cowed [Sykes] and he did not strike her as he usually did” (2). Hurston’s juxtaposition of the intense words “seized” and “cowed” portrays the abruptness of the act, as well as the character roles reversing. Delia intimidates Sykes, as he has done to her in the past, displaying how Delia takes charge of her destiny. The abuse Delia endures forces her to become resilient over time and overcome any hardships. The author utilizes symbolism to show the theme that individuals write their own destinies.
Dust Tracks On A Road Analysis
484 Words | 2 PagesHurston’s autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road marks the popularity of her career as a writer in the Harlem Renaissance. It is an autobiography intertwined with reality, mystery, imagination, creation, humor and wisdom, celebrating Hurston’s struggle from an isolated southern child to a recognized black female writer. It is an autobiography contains a controversial work evoking both recognition and discrete criticism. Starting with the history of Eatonville, the founding of the pure Negro town, Hurston in Dust Tracks locates herself as a carefree black girl in a harmless place immune from threats of the racial segregation, then delineates her life as a wander after her mother’s death. Aside from her journey in life, the alienation of the narrator
Character Analysis Of Delia Jones In Hurston's Sweat
387 Words | 2 PagesI also think that in the 1920 's, women were not given the same status as we are today, so she would have probably been blown off. The men on the Joe Clarke 's porch seem to have plenty to say about Delia, Sykes and his mistress. They criticize Sykes, identifying him as a good-for-nothing, but admit that there is nothing that can be done about their situation. Clarke explains, "Taint no law on earth dat
Comparing Story Of An Hour And Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston
1184 Words | 5 PagesSomeone who will cherish them for all eternity. In a close examination of the way Louise Mallard, the protagonist of “The Story of an Hour”, and Delia, the protagonist of “Sweat”, react to their encounters with their marriages demonstrates that authors Kate Chopin and Zora Neale Hurston both use short stories to tell similar stories about the difficulties of their emotional states in their marriages. First, it is seen that Louise Mallard is an unchanging character who values her freedom from her marriage. Throughout the story it becomes obvious how self-centered Louise Mallard is.
Sweat Hurston Character Analysis
1101 Words | 5 PagesName: Lakisha Minnis Instructor: Mr. Compton English 2202-001 Date: April. 24, 2017 Sweat Zora Neale Hurston is a prolific writer famed for numerous award winning plays, novels and short stories. In this paper, I will be elaborating on a character from the novel Sweat. Her novel Sweat was first published in 1926. Sweat is a novel that tells a story about the good, evil, and domestic abusive husband.
Zora Hurston Sweat Analysis
676 Words | 3 PagesBefore 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.
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