While beginning the second section of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat”, the audience may wonder what a few old cane-chewing men have to do with the plot of the story. However, these men begin to reveal otherwise unknown information, giving the audience details on Delia and Sykes’ relationship. Without the second section, this information would remain a secret to the audience, and Hurston telling her audience this information using another character would be difficult. Although the men seem to enjoy sitting around, discussing what goes on between Sykes and Delia, none of them have the courage to take action, even when Sykes appears before them with another woman. Hurston includes the minor characters in her story to give the audience information …show more content…
The audience forgets names by the time the second or third man is talking because it is not their names that is important, but rather the information they give. Not only does the audience receive information from what the men say, but also from their actions, specifically when Sykes shows up on Joe Clarke’s porch with his “hunk uh liver wid hair on it” (108). The moment Sykes appears, the other men quickly grow silent and, more than likely, uncomfortable. Without the men of the town, the audience would not know the things that they do when the second section comes to a close. Moseley lets the audience know that Sykes “done beat huh ‘nough tuh kill three women, let ‘lone change they looks” (106). With this being said, the audience should realize that Sykes’ abusive behavior towards Delia has gone on for a while, although no more than fifteen years. Despite the state of the two’s relationship during the story, it seems that Sykes used to care about his wife. One of the men thinks back, “he useter be so skeered uh losin’ huh, she could make him do some parts of a husband’s duty” (107). It also becomes clear that Sykes does not try to hide his abusing Delia. These men who know …show more content…
The only reasoning comes from a character named Merchant who offers the answer, “Aw, she’s fat, thass how come. He’s allus been crazy ‘bout fat women” (106). After reading “Sweat”, it becomes clear to the audience what purpose the townsmen serve. If Hurston had decided against including this section, the audience would not know about others’ perspectives of the relationship the story is centered around. The minor characters do not seem as minor as they did at the beginning of Section II once details of the relationship begin to unfold. Had there been no second part of the story, the audience would miss a great deal of important information, and the author may have had more of a challenge finding a way to let the audience in on Sykes’ and Delia’s past. Sure, Hurston could have included a brief paragraph summing their history up, but including this second section with the men of the town gives the story more substance and interest. Lastly, the fact that the men do nothing to take action against the elephant in the room tells the audience even more than what directly comes out of the
“Yes indeed. You know if you pass some people and don’t speak tuh suit ‘em dey got tuh go way back in yo’ life and see whut you ever done.” (Hurston
Delia's repose was suddenly upset by interference from her husband, Sykes, who dropped "something long, round, limp and black" upon her shoulders. Delia's worst fear was that of snakes, and her husband found joy in mocking and terrifying her. After brief argument, Sykes continued to disrupt Delia's work by kicking the clothes around and threatening throw them outside or hit her. He also mentioned a promise to "Gawd and a couple of other men" that he would no longer have white people's clothes in his house. At this she responds in a manner greatly surprising to Sykes:
The plot of the novel is creatively explained in a way that anyone can visualize through the event...
"Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston is filled with symbolism ranging from images that are easily captured to things that require a little bit more insight. Religion has apparently played a major role in Hurston's life, readily seen in "Sweat" with the references to a snake and Gethsemane. Symbolism plays a big part of this story and after analyzing these, they give the story a deeper meaning and can enlighten the reader as to the full meaning of "Sweat".
Dust Tracks on a Road is an autobiography written by Zora Neale Hurston. This novel traces all the way back to the beginning of Zora Neale Hurston's life in, Eatonville, Florida. Hurston informs her readers of the many trials she had to face in her life to become who she is today, even though she is no longer here on Earth, by using many effective, but simple writing skills.
A gap of several years passes before they see each other again. They see each other at the airport, but they both pretend not to know the other.
Hurston begins the essay in her birth town: Eatonville, Florida; an exclusively Negro town where whites were a rarity, only occasionally passing by as a tourist. Hurston, sitting on her porch imagines it to be a theatre as she narrates her perspective of the passing white people. She finds a thin line separating the spectator from the viewer. Exchanging stances at will and whim. Her front porch becomes a metaphor for a theater seat and the passers
“Early on, the narrative establishes that Sykes both physically and mentally torments Delia. Scolding him for scaring her by sliding across her knee a bullwhip that she thinks is a snake, Delia say...
...ng point, ‘“Mah cup is done run ovah,”’ again, another metaphorical illustration of how tired she is of being physically mistreated and mentally abused by Sykes, thus, her rage is channeled towards protecting herself and the property she has assumed through her dedication as a washwoman. Hurston makes this ever so clear as Delia shouts at Sykes, ‘“Don't think Ah'm gointuh be run 'way fum mah house neither.”’ Sykes has been unfaithful to Delia for a while now and she has finally taken the final straw. Hurston empowers Delia, through writing, “Delia said this with no signs of fear and Sykes departed from the house, threatening her, but made not the slightest move to carry out any of them.” This is an important step for Delia towards independence. Delia is no longer afraid of Sykes, however she has one more fear to overcome before she is completely free of oppression.
To most people, the name Zora Neale Hurston is associated solely with Their Eyes Were Watching God, her most famous work. In some cases her name is synonymous with the Harlem Renaissance. However, very few people are informed about the aspects of Zora's life that influenced her writing of Their Eyes , nor do they know about how she arrived in New York to become one of the most famous Black female writers of her time. Robert Hemenway's Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Biography and Valerie Boyd's Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston both seek to educate people about the life of this writer and to give the reader information about her other literary works. Both authors also draw from other sources to tell the story of Zora's life, including interviews with friends and colleagues and Zora's own words.
Relationships force individuals to sacrifice some of their aspirations and ideals which leads to emotional wounds. Zora Neale Hurston uses an extended metaphor with symbolic images to expose the internal conflicts that arise from complications within relationships. Hurston constantly refers back to a vision of a blossoming tree to develop a symbol of Janie’s life, focusing on love. The author says: “The vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree, . . .” (Hurston 83). This image is used to illustrate the power of a new relationship in Janie’s life. Her soon to be husband, Logan, will damage her tree. By including this metaphor, the author simplifies the abstract concept of love to an image that is seen in day to day life. As the reader follows Janie, he or she is able to understand her feelings through the symbol of the tree.
African American literature has evolved a tremendous amount over the centuries. The core themes have continued to grow with the African Americans and their fight for equality. A core theme throughout the works of African Americans has been freedom, and I believe this theme has evolved from wanting freedom, to getting freedom (yet still being segregated), to fighting for their freedom, to finally acting free and coming into their own. This progression would also be used to describe the evolution of the theme of equality as well. The African Americans wanted their equality, they fought for it, and soon began to write of themselves as true equals. These themes of freedom and equality, whether it be of African Americans in general, or even African
"Zora Neale Hurston is Born." history.com. A&E Television Networks, 7 Jan. 2016. Web. 12 Jan.
In conclusion, it is hard to grasp the true meaning of the story unless the story is read a second time because of the author's style of writing.
The struggles both characters face demonstrate character development and contribute to the themes of the stories. Both short stories prove to be literally effective in that they disclose the main themes at the outset of each story. Although the themes may alter over the course of the stories, they are clearly defined in their respective introductions.