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In the previous quotes, a huge part of dialogue between Delia and Sykes is about white people. “Sykes clearly is Delia's antagonist, but part of the reason he resents her is ‘because her work makes him feel like less than a man. He resents her working for the white folks, washing their dirty laundry, but he does not resent it enough to remove the need for her to do so.’” (Champion 67). Sykes knows that he is below the white folks, unfortunately for the African American people, this was an unfortunate time for them, and one of the few ways to survive was to work for the whites. This enrages him remarkably because a wife is the representation of her husband. Sykes doesn’t want to be seen as a servant of the whites. Nevertheless, society sees them as one. So he takes it all out on Delia and blames her for having to work for the whites, although he prefers this, instead of him having to be the one to do the whites’ work. “She squatted on the kitchen floor beside the great pile of clothes, sorting them into small heaps according to color, and humming a song in a mournful key.” (Hurston 01). This quote demonstrates that Delia is not a racist, but instead, a humble woman who doesn’t want any trouble. She is happy, because her faith resides her from Sykes’s tormenting. She does not retain the hate Sykes has for life. She doesn’t mind working for white people. Surely, this must be the reason why Sykes’s attitude towards the world and specially Delia is so idiotic. Humbleness erases
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Delia does not come for his help. Instead, she feels “a surge of pity too strong to support” (Hurston 16). Sykes was not only the villain in the story. He represented the snake/Satan. He attempted to interfere with Delia’s faith by attacking the sinless woman to make her feel guilty and destroy her silent peace. Hurston allegorizes the idea of Women as an innocent figure, dependent on the man for psychological stability. Society believes women are dependent on men; men that depend back on those
Delia does not come for his help. Instead, she feels “a surge of pity too strong to support” (Hurston 16). Sykes was not only the villain in the story. He represented the snake/Satan. He attempted to interfere with Delia’s faith by attacking the sinless woman to make her feel guilty and destroy her silent peace. Hurston allegorizes the idea of Women as an innocent figure, dependent on the man for psychological stability. Society believes women are dependent on men; men that depend back on those