The short story, "Sweat", is about Delia Jones, a washwoman, and her husband, Sykes. In the middle of sorting clothes, "something long, round, limp and black fell upon [Delia's] shoulders and slithered to the floor beside her" (3). It’s not a snake, but Sykes's bullwhip. He criticizes her for bringing 'white folks' clothes into the house and tells her to quit working. When she doesn't, he kicks the clothes around. A frustrated Delia defends her job and herself with an iron skillet. This causes Sykes to leave the house. Although he treats her like dirt and is sleeping with another woman named Bertha, Delia vows not to let her husband bring her down. It seems as if most of the men in town dislike Sykes. They talk about hanging him, and how much
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She shakes, screams and nearly faints when the scaly beasts appear. Knowing this, Sykes brings a rattler home and Delia yells, “Naw, now Syke, don't keep dat thing 'roun' heah tuh skeer me tuh death. [...] Thass de biggest snake Ah evah did see. Kill 'im Syke, please.” (6). The snake itself is a symbol of Sykes and the venom he spits at Delia in the form of verbal, psychological and physical abuse. Keeping him around the house is just as dangerous as a venomous snake. When he brings home a snake, he goes too far and Delia kicks Sykes out once and states, “Ah hates you tuh de same degree dat Ah useter love yuh.” (7). As a twist of fate, the snake ends up biting and killing Sykes and saves Delia from an awful marriage. With this, Hurston seems to be warning that one's own evil will one day come back around to bite you. Delia symbolizes good, while Sykes represents evil and good ultimately triumphs. The story evokes the classic symbol of evil, the snake, when Sykes hides a rattlesnake in the white clothes in an attempt to kill Delia. The white clothes, meanwhile, symbolize goodness. A secondary theme of the story is that of oppression, as Delia is a person whose life is made difficult by her race, social standing and …show more content…
With these lines from "Sweat," we understand that Delia seems to have the worst life ever, full of endless manual labor, physical exhaustion, abuse and tears. Her only salvation is going to church, and it makes Delia's life a bit easier. The relationship between Delia and Sykes involves many arguments and abuse. “Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating.” (2). Here, we can see that Sykes is ruthless and has no feelings for Delia, and thinks lowly of her. Delia has fed Sykes for fifteen years and receives no thanks. Sykes seems to be lazy, he got used to a certain lifestyle and then just decided to never change it. However, Delia stands up for herself and defines her role as the bread-winner and laborer in the marriage. She states that she has sticking her hands in tubs and cleaning for fifteen years and she supports this point with the repetition of the word 'sweat.' It's only through a mix of patience, faith, and inner strength that Delia is able to make it through to the end of the
She shakes, screams and nearly faints when the scaly beasts appear. Knowing this, Sykes brings a rattler home and Delia yells, “Naw, now Syke, don't keep dat thing 'roun' heah tuh skeer me tuh death. [...] Thass de biggest snake Ah evah did see. Kill 'im Syke, please.” (6). The snake itself is a symbol of Sykes and the venom he spits at Delia in the form of verbal, psychological and physical abuse. Keeping him around the house is just as dangerous as a venomous snake. When he brings home a snake, he goes too far and Delia kicks Sykes out once and states, “Ah hates you tuh de same degree dat Ah useter love yuh.” (7). As a twist of fate, the snake ends up biting and killing Sykes and saves Delia from an awful marriage. With this, Hurston seems to be warning that one's own evil will one day come back around to bite you. Delia symbolizes good, while Sykes represents evil and good ultimately triumphs. The story evokes the classic symbol of evil, the snake, when Sykes hides a rattlesnake in the white clothes in an attempt to kill Delia. The white clothes, meanwhile, symbolize goodness. A secondary theme of the story is that of oppression, as Delia is a person whose life is made difficult by her race, social standing and …show more content…
With these lines from "Sweat," we understand that Delia seems to have the worst life ever, full of endless manual labor, physical exhaustion, abuse and tears. Her only salvation is going to church, and it makes Delia's life a bit easier. The relationship between Delia and Sykes involves many arguments and abuse. “Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating.” (2). Here, we can see that Sykes is ruthless and has no feelings for Delia, and thinks lowly of her. Delia has fed Sykes for fifteen years and receives no thanks. Sykes seems to be lazy, he got used to a certain lifestyle and then just decided to never change it. However, Delia stands up for herself and defines her role as the bread-winner and laborer in the marriage. She states that she has sticking her hands in tubs and cleaning for fifteen years and she supports this point with the repetition of the word 'sweat.' It's only through a mix of patience, faith, and inner strength that Delia is able to make it through to the end of the