ipl-logo

Who Is Delia In Sweat By Zora Neale Huxton

616 Words3 Pages

Whether you believe it or not, karma will always come back and bite you. In Zora Neal Huston’s “Sweat”, karma definitely comes back and gets Sykes. Sykes is Delia’s husband. Delia is a wash woman who is very hardworking. Sykes and Delia have been married for 15 years but not all of them have been great. Delia is aware of Sykes mistress, Bertha, but doesn’t take action upon it. Delia works hard for all she has, her garden and her home that she owns. Sykes spends his days judging Delia, punishing her, and being with his mistress Bertha. Sykes attempts to scare Delia with a snake to make her leave her home so he can be with Bertha and him can live in her house but he is not successful. Sykes is dominant throughout most of the story because he …show more content…

Although Delia never leaves her home like Sykes wants her to, she never really punishes him the way he does to her. The day Sykes came home with the snake, he was there before Delia, which was unusual. Delia knew something was going on but tried to ignore it. Sykes wouldn’t let her go through to the kitchen door and pushed her back when she attempted to pass by. Instead of fighting back Delia begs Sykes remove the snake from their home and Sykes says, “Ah aint gut tuh do nuthin’ uh de kin’…” (1026). By Sykes saying he isn’t going to do anything he is just going to leave the snake is showing he is dominant. In his blog about social dominance, Mario Maestripieri, an Italian behavioral psychologist, says dominant people “can use any means at his disposal to keep the subordinate from acquiring more power and to increase the potential costs of a rebellion...” (Maestripieri). In this case, Sykes uses a snake to keep Delia from gaining power by scaring her and making her submissive to what he says. Not only does Sykes scare Delia with a snake, he also scares her because he abuses her

Show More
Related

  • Zora Neale's Journey

    79 Words  | 1 Pages

    Like the Labyrinth Janie’s journey to self discovery consisted of a multitude of twists and turns which inevitably delays her progress. At every bend the sun and horizon metaphors are there, guiding the reader through her exploration. Zora Neale Hurston makes it easy for everyone to relate to her captivating novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Janie’s journey signifies the importance of staying true to oneself, exploring the possibilities life has to offer and pursuing what makes you happy.

    Read More

  • What Is The Central Idea Of Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    704 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 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.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Faith In Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat

    96 Words  | 1 Pages

    The 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.

    Read More

  • Elizabeth And Frankenstein Comparison

    1292 Words  | 6 Pages

    The monster shows his sorrow after being rejected by the cottagers; “I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protectors had departed, and had broken the only link that held me to the world. For the first time the feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom” (Shelley 97). The creature leaves where he was abandoned to a cottage of the Delacey’s there he learns about humanity. After learning he accidentally drives the Delacey’s apart from him, causing great depression and anger (Frasait).

    Read More

  • Sweat By Zora Neale Hurtson Summary

    981 Words  | 4 Pages

    An example of Delia defending her emotional being and everything she earned is when she yelled, “that ole snaggle-toothed black woman you runnin’ with ain’t comin’ heah to pile up on mah sweat and blood” (cite). Warning her adultering husband she has a materialistic possession she is unwilling to part with and telling him to leave with the mention of divorce. Delia actively reacts to the abuse when Bertha wants to move into Delia’s house. This one want plunges Delia’s life to further hell as Sykes actively tries to remove her from the house. When he gets a negative response, he starts trying to scare her to death by getting a

    Read More

  • How Does Zora Neale Hurston Use Imagery In Sweat

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Delia Jones In Hurston's Sweat

    387 Words  | 2 Pages

    In "Sweat," the main character, Delia Jones, is portrayed as a strong-willed, hard-working washwoman who would wash clothes for white people. She worked tireless to provide for her family. Delia was married to Sykes, who would berate, beat and mentally abuse Delia, incessantly. For example, Sykes would walk into the room where Delia just folded clothing for the white people and find the whitest pile of clothes, stomp all over them and then kick them across the room, leaving her to clean up and restack them. Sykes was also openly living in infidelity with another woman, named Bertha.

    Read More

  • Zora Neale Hrston's Struggles In The Harlem Mentor

    1180 Words  | 5 Pages

    Empowerment Through Hardships In the heart of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston once said, "I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Frankenstein And The Handmaid's Tale

    1593 Words  | 7 Pages

    Society would never accept him as society treats outcast and people that are any 'different ' atrociously. The monster acquired books of "Paradise Lost", "Plutarch 's Lives" and "The Sorrows of Werter", which "gave him extreme delight" as he studied and exercised his mind. When he came across the DeLacey family, hope sparked inside of him as he believed he would finally be accepted by at least a small part of society. Intelligently enough the monster made his move and approached the blind old man, in which he knew wouldn 't be able to see him or judge him by his distorted appearance. He finally grasps the chance into talking to the old man, De Lacey and he acknowledges that if he fails in being accepted by them he will be "an outcast in the world for ever".

    Read More

  • Comparing Story Of An Hour And Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    1184 Words  | 5 Pages

    (Hurston 532). She believes in karma, that whatever Sykes does will come back around to him. She is good and believes that in time good things will come to her. Also it is clearly seen in the story how dynamic Delia’s character is. In the beginning, Delia is scared of Sykes and is too afraid to stand up to him.

    Read More

  • Sweat Hurston Character Analysis

    1101 Words  | 5 Pages

    Delia slaves out at work to make money, but Sykes bullies her so that she can spend the money with the woman who happens to be new in town. “Bertha had been in town three months now. Sykes was paying her room rent at Della Lewis’—the only house in town that have taken her in" (Sweat

    Read More

  • Zora Hurston Sweat Analysis

    676 Words  | 3 Pages

    Also when Walter Thomas says, “It’s too bad, too, cause she wuz a right pretty li’l trick when he got huh” (68), I learned that Sykes really had done a number on her physically and emotionally. That went on for a awhile and I really got the point that nobody except Bertha liked Sykes. Whether it was intended or not, I thought Bertha being described as “a hunk uh liver wid hair on it” (70) was quite funny. Later on, when Sykes gets the rattle snake, it’s clear he has crossed the line and Delia is done putting up with him. Her normal meekness towards Sykes is gone and when she said “Ah hates you, Sykes” (72) then continued to tell him how extremely much she hates him, I knew with certainty she had enough and was going to do something.

    Read More

  • Feminism In Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat

    713 Words  | 3 Pages

    The reason behind why Syke is so abusive mentally and physically towards Delia is because she is the breadwinner of the marriage, she basically does everything that the man of the house should be doing. Which causes him to be insecure because he feels threatened that Delia is the hardworking one and bringing in all the income. A quote that would support all this is “You sho is one aggravatin ' n- woman! (8). He says which doesn 't make sense because she clothes him and feeds him and has to say and do all these things so he can feel masculine and that he’s the man of the house.

    Read More

  • Serpent Archetypes In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

    674 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout life betrayal is inevitable; in most situations one cannot plan or avoid being betrayed. Betrayal can happen to anyone but is usually driven by a similar force. Archetypes are repeated elements, which represent similar forces in life and literature. A serpent is an archetype that can symbolize evil, deception, and backstabbers. In today’s society serpents are everywhere, people will do anything to further their value in this world.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Irony In Barn Burning

    448 Words  | 2 Pages

    Initially, Sykes releases a rattlesnake, into the home of both him and Delia with the intentions of it killing her. Though, it does not. Sykes returns to the home, and Delia is nowhere to be found, so he assumed the job had been done and proceed into the house. This is where the irony comes into play, Sykes ends of being the victim of the rattler rather than Delia. Delia’s main conflict, with her abusive husband was solved when the trap he set for her failed, and he become the victim of the

    Read More

More about Who Is Delia In Sweat By Zora Neale Huxton

Open Document