They know he beats Delia enough to "kill three women" (352). He also has a reputation for cheating on his wife. He is such a despicable person that Old Man Anderson believes he should be killed. Delia seems to be in a losing situation. Her husband hates her and there seems to be nothing she can do. Her strength is overlooked to a certain extent. Through it all, she manages to work and work hard. She retains her dignity when others might have given up. "Sweat" is really about karma. Delia works hard and she is the only one in the household who does work hard. Sykes is a bum and a moocher. He built a life with Delia through intimidation and regular beatings. We know that she is and he is accustomed to her "habitual meekness" (350). Sykes has been getting away with mistreating Delia...
He laughs at her and does what he can to belittle her. He is living the bum's dream, so to speak. The underlying message of the story is what goes around will eventually come around, generally when least expected. In Sykes' case, when he is planning evil and even delighting in it, a different outcome awaits. The snake becomes a symbol of fear and freedom in the story as Sykes intends to kill Delia with it. Sykes becomes too full of himself and, in the end, has nothing to cling to when he needs a loving wife the most. Karma stings him and the worst part of this for Sykes is the realization of what is occurring to him and why.
Zora Neale Hurston represent Delia and Sykes in the first part of the story? Sykes is clearly a sadist of some sort. When Delia is frightened by the bullwhip, thinking it's a snake and triggering her phobia, Sykes laughs at her and does not care how much he frightens her. It sets up the fact that Sykes will attempt to kill Delia (and fail) by the end of the story. What
Self-Realization and Identity in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston explores the idea of a young black woman's search for identity in her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston emphasizes the idea that women, specifically during the twentieth century when this novel was written, need to find their independence and identity without being under the control of men. According to Pondrom, Their Eyes Were
SWEAT: a Case for Self-Defense Literature plays many roles in our lives; it entertains us, frightens us, and thrills us, but if written well it also teaches us and gives us a greater understanding of ourselves and human nature as a whole. When an author puts pen to paper he should have a story to tell or information he feels he must impart to the world at large so that the
Justice Served Justice is served in Zora Neal Hurston's "Sweat." The writer shows the central character as a person who is subjected to a great deal of pain through her marriage with Sykes and thus makes his death seem less of a sad incident. This episode actually frees Delia and makes it possible for her to actually consider life without him -- a lifestyle that would involve her doing what
Tale as Told by another Character: Sweat - Zora Neale Hurston Sweat The spring came along with its flare of sunny afternoons in Florida on that particulate Sunday afternoon. For a given number of women in the small village populated by the black persons would be thinking of what the family would have for supper. However, for Delia Jones, she was still in bed, thinking of her previous life when she was
Her neighbors know Sykes beats her enough to "kill three women" (352). She has a problem with "habitual meekness" (350) and he does not. This appears to be a sad story about a woman unable to choose the right kind of man to treat her right. However, the opportunity that presents itself at the end of the story demonstrates that Delia is not the fool everyone thinks she is.
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