The Short story “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston portray an abusive relationship between Sykes and his wife, Delia Jones. Delia has been verbally, physically, and emotionally abuse by her husband for more than 15 years and has never left him. Sykes also has a mistress (Bertha), who he enjoys pleasing and blowing all his wages on. Nevertheless Sykes enjoys torturing his wife Delia, by pushing her around and not giving one cent for house necessities. Delia had lost all hopes except for her little home, which she love and took care of very much. Hurston uses literary devices such as foreshadowing, Irony, and Symbolism to help reveal that “what goes around, comes around” and Sykes will at last get what he deserves.
From the very beginning, the reader …show more content…
At this point, the author is foreshadowing an event that would come in the future of the story and also illustrates the irony that Sykes will end up being hunted by a snake himself.
Delia had to work very had each and every day to build her little home for her old day, she planted one by one the tress and flowers. It was lovely to her, lovely (3). It was to late now for her to hope for love, before sleep came, she found herself saying out loud: “Oh well, whatever goes over the Devil’s back, is got to come under his belly. Sykes, like everybody else, is gointer reap his sowing” (3). Another example of foreshadowing, reflecting that Delia was truly tired of being in misery and hoped that karma will reach Sykes and everything he had done to her will bounce right back to himself.
More time passes and Delia and Sykes fought all the time with no peace. They slept in silence and ate in silence with no hope of reuniting. One night, however, Delia comes home to find that the snake was loose. She is able to safely exit the house and wait for her husband, Sykes to come home by the shade of her Chinaberry tree. Delia sees him enter the house and hears him making a lot of noise in the kitchen. “The noise seemed to waken up the snake up under the stove and Sykes made a quick leap into the bedroom. In spite of the gin he had had, his haed was clearing now” (9). Delia stood outside; instead of helping him, Delia simple let him
From the very beginning, the reader …show more content…
At this point, the author is foreshadowing an event that would come in the future of the story and also illustrates the irony that Sykes will end up being hunted by a snake himself.
Delia had to work very had each and every day to build her little home for her old day, she planted one by one the tress and flowers. It was lovely to her, lovely (3). It was to late now for her to hope for love, before sleep came, she found herself saying out loud: “Oh well, whatever goes over the Devil’s back, is got to come under his belly. Sykes, like everybody else, is gointer reap his sowing” (3). Another example of foreshadowing, reflecting that Delia was truly tired of being in misery and hoped that karma will reach Sykes and everything he had done to her will bounce right back to himself.
More time passes and Delia and Sykes fought all the time with no peace. They slept in silence and ate in silence with no hope of reuniting. One night, however, Delia comes home to find that the snake was loose. She is able to safely exit the house and wait for her husband, Sykes to come home by the shade of her Chinaberry tree. Delia sees him enter the house and hears him making a lot of noise in the kitchen. “The noise seemed to waken up the snake up under the stove and Sykes made a quick leap into the bedroom. In spite of the gin he had had, his haed was clearing now” (9). Delia stood outside; instead of helping him, Delia simple let him