Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston Summary

The short story Sweat, by Zora Neale Hurston, shared many aspects of the story with the African-American folktales about Brer Rabbit, a trickster figure. Many of the stories involving Brer Rabbit have the theme of "oppressed" peoples overcoming a larger, stronger, dull-witted power. In the short story Sweat, the characters and the plot correlate with the African-American folktales about the cunning Brer Rabbit. The main character, Delia, is oppressed in many ways by Sykes, including physical beatings, verbal abuse, and also psychological abuse. For example, it is evident that Delia experienced physical abuse when the author stated that, "Two months after the wedding, he [Sykes] had given her the first brutal beating." Another example of abuse, was when Sykes psychologically abused her by …show more content…
It softened her knees and dried her mouth so that it was a full minute before she could cry out or move. Then she saw that it was the big bull whip her husband liked to carry when he drove." Another form of oppression that Sykes displays is how little value Delia is to him. The lack of value that he has in her serves as the initiator to all of his other abuses. Also, the actual rattlesnake that Sykes brought home serves to abuse Delia psychologically, because she fears the snake. In addition to being yet another problem Delia has to face, the snake serves as a symbol of all the bad things Sykes puts Delia through. All the above abuses evinced the fact that Delia was oppressed in many ways by Sykes. However, near the beginning of the story, Delia does something quite unexpected, and as the author wrote, "Delia's habitual meekness seemed to slip from her shoulders like a blown scarf. She was on her feet; her poor little body, her bare knuckly hands bravely defying the strapping hulk before her. 'Looka heah, Sykes, you done gone too