Neala Thrones In Sweat, By Zora Neale Hurston

In the story “Sweat”, Zora Neale Hurston introduces the reader to Delia Jones, the main character of this short story. Delia Jones is an African-American woman who is constantly striving to provide financially in order to maintain her home. She is hardworking and most definitely the breadwinner of the household, although very submissive. Delia is married to a man named Sykes Jones, a man who mistreats her, finds her unworthy, cheats on her, and has no intention of providing stability for her financially or emotionally. Even though Delia Jones is presented as a submissive character at first, as the story progresses, she undergoes a massive transformation that later defines her as a dynamic character. As afore-mentioned, Delia Jones is introduced …show more content…
It is pointed out that after those incidents “Delia’s habitual meekness seemed to slip from her shoulders like a blown scarf” (Hurston 623). It is clear that at this point she is fed up and tired of being mistreated after being the breadwinner of the household and literally sweating day in and day out to provide for her home. Delia’s act of defiance defines her from that moment on; she appears stronger and powerful rather than submissive and weak. Sykes is taken by surprise when Delia, instead of calmly letting him threaten her in such manner, “[seizes] the iron skillet from the stove and [strikes] a defensive pose” (Hurston 623). This story takes place during the 1920s, a period in which women could not and would not confront their husbands and divorce was not an option. In fact, this explains why she allows Sykes to mistreat her and humiliate her both publicly and privately. Women were considered their husband’s property, so they were able to do whatever they please to them without any repercussions. Therefore, when Delia confronts Sykes and strikes in defense, the reader knows that she has had enough and will no longer take any form of abuse from him after all that she has given him: her youth, love, and “sweat”. Long gone is the woman who takes constant humiliations and abuse; a new Delia that values herself and her …show more content…
All the pain he has made her go through since the beginning of their marriage. At this point, she has already lost all hope on love coming from Sykes as nothing good has ever come from him in the past fifteen years they have spent together. The only source of hope Delia is holding on to is the idea that someday, somehow “Sykes, like everybody else, is gointer reap his sowing” (Hurston 624). This simple thought makes her seem emotionally stronger because now she embraces that hope that no matter what, Sykes is going to pay for those years that he spent making her feel miserable and unworthy. Moreover, her final note-worthy change in the story comes when Sykes brings a snake, Delia’s utmost fear, home and refuses to take it somewhere else. Delia gets so angry that she confronts him once more in a way that takes Sykes by surprise once more. It is important to know that God and church are important to Delia and even after everything her husband makes her go through, she still keeps taking sacrament with him. However, after bringing that snake to her house, she is ready to cut him out completely as she repeats that she hates him. Then, she says “… ah got mah letter fum de church an moved mah membership tuh Woodbridge- so ah don’t haft uh take no sacrament wid yuh” (Hurston