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Symbolism of sweat in zora neale hurston
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Who among us has not been shaped to some degree by our life experiences and religious or moral beliefs? The main character in the short story “Sweat” by Zora Neal Hurston is no exception to this rule, and Hurston demonstrates this very effectively throughout the story with the use of symbolism. The deeply religious, hard-working Delia seems cursed with the burden of a lazy and morally bankrupt husband, however she is able to persevere through the trials of her everyday life because of the strong influence of religion on her life. Hurston shows that Delia is shaped and grows stronger due to her religious beliefs time and time again throughout the story; not only through the biblical references made throughout, such as referring to Gethsemane, the rocks of Calvary, and the river Jordan, but also through describing Delia’s devout religion when detailing her Sunday church activities and her fear of snakes which is symbolic of evil.
When we are first introduced to Delia, we find her sorting laundry for wash the next day after spending her Sunday morning in church. Although it was late at night, Delia was still up sorting and soaking the laundry, preparing for her busy day on Monday. This is where we first see evidence of Delia’s devout faith. To many religious people, particularly in the South during this time period, the Sabbath (or Sunday) is considered a day to be devoted to attending church worship services. It is of great importance to Delia that she be able to devote her Sunday to worship, so “she collected the soiled clothes on Saturday when she returned the clean things. Sunday night, after church, she sorted and put the white things to soak” (Hurston 563). Even when her violent husband, Sykes, comes in and kicks her freshly s...
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...n with her day to day life and endure her mistreatment at the hands of her husband knowing that she will one day be free from it all, and her wicked lout of a husband Sykes. After a day of worship in church on Sunday, Delia finds the strength to stand up to Sykes by not taking any action to save him from his fatal snakebite, which was caused ultimately by his own evil actions. How fitting that this man who was portrayed as a slimy snake was killed by an actual snake, one of God’s creatures.
Works Cited
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 563-571. Print.
Works Cited
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 563-571. Print.
Hurston, Zora Neale. "Sweat." Norton Anthology of Southern Literature. Ed. William L. Andrews. New York: Norton, 1998.
Delia is a hard-working woman who is very obedient and faithful to her husband, Sykes. Through harsh words, he cuts her down about her work of washing white folks clothes and her looks saying that he 'hates skinny woman';. Delia's appearance resembles her hard work, with 'knuckly hands'; from using the washboard. Delia has put many hard- earned tears, blood, and sweat into her house while supporting Sykes' habits and taking all the abuse he could dish out. On many occasions Sykes has cut down Delia and her kind nature, even to her religious beliefs, accusing her of being a 'hipocrite'; because she worked on the Sabbath day.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Setting, including physical location and time, is essential for establishing the backgrounds and identities of characters in a piece. Even within countries like the United States, where English is the national language and spoken by almost everyone, regional influences on language exist. The way a character speaks and communicates is an important part of their personal identity as a character, as well as an expression of their regional and cultural background. In Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat, the dialect of the South used by the characters is a ready example of the influence of culture on one’s language. The heavy influences of culture are apparent in many texts, and a change in time or location would alter the language and mannerisms of speech
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel. New York: Perennial Library, 1990. Print.
Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006. Print.
Bibliography:.. Works Cited Meyer, M., Ed., (1999). Bedford Introduction to Literature, 5th Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin.
Zora Neale Hurston's writing style in Dust Tracks on a Road is one of her greatest advantages. She easily and humorously show cases southern African American dialect. Examples of this southern African American dialect is when she shares with her readers co...
Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” is about a woman, Delia, who is physically and emotionally abused by her husband, Sykes, whose actions she struggles to overcome. Through all the abuse, Delia takes pride in her hard work and her religion. In this story, Hurston uses religion and moral symbolism that controls the character’s actions throughout the plot. Delia is a hard working woman who uses her faith in God to guide and protect her from her husband’s physical and emotional abuse. She, as a protagonist, is physically weak but yet spiritually strong.
Kempe, Margery. "From The Book of Margery Kempe." The Norton Anthology of Literature By Women. 2nd ed. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996. 18-24.
Stillinger, Jack, Deidre Lynch, Stephen Greenblatt, and M H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume D. New York, N.Y: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006. Print.
Hurston, Zora N. "Sweat." Literature: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardener, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, and Peter Schakel. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin, 2013. 176-79. Print.
Charters, Ann & Samuel. Literature and its Writers. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. 137-147. Print.
Belasco, Susan, and Linck Johnson, eds. The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 1, 2nd Ed., Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 1190-1203. Print.
Alexie, Sherman. Do Not Go Gentle. Baym, Nina, ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 2. Shorter 7th ed. New York: Norton, 2008. Print