The destiny or fate following as effect from cause, also known as karma, overall classifies as an abstract idea. No one really knows if it is substantial or not; therefore, creating a lot of skeptics when it comes this concept. In life, when a person puts themselves aside and does a good deed for another, karma comes back in many forms for them. For example, when one does something charitable, later they may discover a ten dollar bill on the ground; some may believe karma disguised itself as the money while others deny that and claim it as no more than simply a coincidence. Skeptics deny and doubt any opinions regarding whether one’s actions, good or bad, find a way back at them; however, in the short story Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston, it seems that what goes …show more content…
around comes around. Unfortunately, for the character Sykes, he disregards any thoughts of consequence to his actions towards Delia, yet karma clearly finds it’s way back to bite him. While Sykes' brutal karma inconveniences he and his mistress, it leads to Delia’s karma camouflaged as her new, peaceful life. The narrative Sweat depicts the life of a woman Delia who's married to an abusive man with hateful intentions. Her husband underestimates and viciously antagonizes her throughout the whole story; although, that quickly changes when she stands her ground and unleashes a venomous snake on her now ex-husband. The author utilizes symbols as well as the dynamic character, Delia, to show that when someone underestimates and antagonizes an individual, karma will find a way to get back at them. Sykes becomes the reason that Delia changes and develops into a dynamic character; he bullies Delia throughout the story to the point where he forces out her true self that had been laying dormant for too long; furthermore, Delia takes advantage of the bravery she did not know she beared, and that ultimately leads to her killing Sykes; giving him the karma he deserves. “He picked up the whip and glared down at her. Delia went on with her work... She saw that Sykes had kicked all of the clothes together again... But she walked calmly around him and commenced to re-sort the things” (1). This quote plainly shows the dominance Sykes has over Delia. Rather than the author stating Sykes glaring at her, she shows Sykes glaring down at her, which portrays him to occur cold and condescending. To him, Delia amounts to absolutely nothing. Delia responds to his spiteful actions by simply ignoring them or re-doing all he has purposely disturbed. She timidly reacts to Sykes in hopes of not further bothering him. One can only passively cope with a persecutor for so long until they break. “Ah hates you, Sykes... Ah hates you tuh de same degree dat Ah useter love yuh... Ah hates yuh lak uh suck-egg dog” (7). Delia’s breaking point was bound to erupt; her last ounce of patience left right when she said this. Here shows the point in the story where Delia changes due to her nasty husband. The change she undergoes becomes karma for both she and Sykes. For her, it brings her to assertively show the hatred she has for her husband. Before she could not bring herself to stand up against him; however, now she expresses how much she despises him and no longer fears him. Unfortunately for Sykes his karma comes for him as Delia’s fearlessness, leading her to purposely unleash a venomous snake on him; shockingly enough, karma literally comes back to bite him. The author portrays karma in the story through the snake.
“She saw him on his hands and knees as soon as she reached the door. He crept an inch or two toward her-- all that he was able, and she saw his horribly swollen neck and his one open eye shining with hope...” (9). When the narrator describes Sykes’ swollen neck, that indicates that the poisonous snake bit his neck. In return for any crime, there remains a fitting consequence; karma consists of that concept. The behaviors Sykes let out onto Delia were completely unnecessary and undeserving. He cheated on her, made Delia feel worthless, and overall physically and emotionally drained her. In response to
what he did, death became his punishment. Not only does he beat her, but he
also ridicules her by provoking her fear of snakes. “Syke! Syke, mah
Gawd! You take dat rattlesnake ‘way from heah! You gottuh. Oh, Jesus, have
Mussy!” (6). Before Sykes died due to Delia letting the same rattle snake revenge him, Sykes brought it into the house as a surprise for Delia. He recognizes that snakes scare Delia an awful lot, so he intentionally brings one home to frighten her. It’s ironic that the
snake he maliciously brings in the house to watch Delia in pure fright
for entertainment results as the same snake to kill him in the end. Along with bad karma, there comes good karma to those who deserve it; like Delia. Karma did not just target Sykes; it also made its way back to Delia. “She could scarcely reach the Chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heat while inside she knew that the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew” (9). When referring to the cold river creeping up and extinguishing his eye, it refers to Sykes’ last functioning eye being shut for good. The snake not only ceases Sykes' life but begins a new, improved one for Delia. Living in the constant fear of her wretched husband no longer exists for Delia. Delia never provoked Sykes in such a way that he deserved to treat her the way he did. From time to time she said how she felt and attempted to stand up for herself, but the actions he put forth were spiteful and uncalled for. In the end, Delia got what she deserved. Sykes thought he owned everything in the house and earned entitlement to it. He anticipated that once he kicked Delia out of the house, he and his mistress could have it all to themselves. “Sho’ you kin have dat lil’ ole house soon’s Ah kin git dat ‘oman outa dere. Everything b’longs tuh me an’ you sho’ kin have it. Ah sho’ ‘bominates uh skinny ‘oman. Lawdy, you sho’ is got one portly shape on you! You kin git anything you wants. Dis is mah town an’ you sho’ kin have it” (5). Sykes explains to his mistress that once he gets Delia out of the house, they can have it all to themselves. Deila works all day in the house while Sykes goes out with his mistress and comes home to harass Delia. Fortunately for Delia, he never lives to see the day he and his mistress take over the house. Delia experiences the sweet taste of revenge living in the house she clearly deserves, while Sykes dies a painful death and can now linger elsewhere with the burden of his actions. Karma is like a rubber band. One can only stretch it so far before it comes back and smacks them in the face. Furthermore, karma shows itself in many forms; and sadly for Sykes, it came as a vicious, poisonous snake willing to gladly end his life. The author uses symbols and the dynamic character, Delia, to show that when someone underestimates and antagonizes an individual, karma will find a way to get back at them. In this story, the snake serves as a significant symbol. It symbolizes the good and the bad things in life. When the snake poisons Sykes, the snake essentially turns Delia loose; symbolizing her freedom and giving her the peaceful life she deserves. On the other side of things, it represents death and the unfortunate issues in life. Sykes deserve all of what he got; however, if the audience looks at the situation from his perspective, it finishes his life with a slow, painful death and inconveniences his goals; although his goals lacked productivity and honest intent, to him they stood as his aspirations. Consequences to anyone’s actions becomes a plausible theme shown throughout the story. It demonstrates that when someone underestimates another their actions are bound to find their way back at them. For one, Sykes dies for portraying this terrible person to innocent Delia, while she can live in relief and reclaim the house she rightfully deserves. The narrator does a tremendous job portraying the idea of karma. It becomes a vicious cycle levied onto Sykes. The most ironic part of the whole story happens when the same snake he used to threaten Delia ends up killing him. Life works in mysterious ways and karma doubtlessly strikes as one of them.
Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston portrays the religion of black people as a form of identity. Each individual in the black society Hurston has created worships a different God. But all members of her society find their identities by being able to believe in a God, spiritual or otherwise.
Well there is always the fate aspect in everything that occurs in our lives but majority of the outcomes created from the individuals own decisions. It is up to the individual to determine what can occur, if they do one thing then something will be the outcome. A side from that, there is always the possibility of being at the wrong place at the wrong time which can have an affect of on the outcomes of life.
Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God describes the life of Janie, a black woman at the turn of the century. Janie is raised by her Grandmother and spends her life traveling with different men until she finally returnes home. Robert E. Hemenway has said about the book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God is ... one of the most revealing treatments in modern literature of a woman’s quest for a satisfying life” I partially disagree with Hemenway because, although Janie is on a quest, it is not for a satisfying life. I believe that she is on a quest for someone on whom to lean. Although she achieves a somewhat satisfying life, Janie’s quest is for dependence rather than satisfaction.
It’s no wonder that “[t]he hurricane scene in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a famous one and [that] other writers have used it in an effort to signify on Hurston” (Mills, “Hurston”). The final, climactic portion of this scene acts as the central metaphor of the novel and illustrates the pivotal interactions that Janie, the protagonist, has with her Nanny and each of her three husbands. In each relationship, Janie tries to “’go tuh God, and…find out about livin’ fuh [herself]’” (192). She does this by approaching each surrogate parental figure as one would go to God, the Father; she offers her faith and obedience to them and receives their definitions of love and protection in return. When they threaten to annihilate and hush her with these definitions, however, she uses her voice and fights to save her dream and her life. Hurston shows how Janie’s parental figures transform into metaphorical hurricanes, how a literal hurricane transforms into a metaphorical representation of Janie’s parental figures, and how Janie survives all five hurricanes.
In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” the author not only focuses on portraying different gender roles but also focuses on the theme of good versus evil within the marriage of Sykes and Delia. Hurston portrays Delia as the good in the marriage and Sykes as the evil. The use of religious symbolism and imagery is the support that makes this theme so strong and influential. As the short story progresses you witness the transition of a clean, moral woman who overcomes evil.
'You sho' is one aggravatin' nigger woman!'; this is only one example of the abuse in Zora Neale Hurston's short story, 'Sweat'. Spousal abuse is a very common issue in today's society. Hurston represents this form of abuse through the way the husband talks to his wife and the way he treats her.
In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character Janie struggles to find herself and her identity. Throughout the course of the novel she has many different people tell her who she should be and how she should behave, but none of these ideas quite fit Janie. The main people telling Janie who she should be is her grandmother and Janie’s 3 husbands. The people in Janie's life influence her search for identity by teaching her about marriage, hard work, class, society, love and happiness.
Zora Neale Hurston an early twentieth century Afro-American feminist author, was raised in a predominately black community which gave her an unique perspective on race relations, evident in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston drew on her on experiences as a feminist Afro-American female to create a story about the magical transformation of Janie, from a young unconfident girl to a thriving woman. Janie experiences many things that make her a compelling character who takes readers along as her companion, on her voyage to discover the mysteries and rewards life has to offer.
becomes clear that Sykes does not try to hide his abusing Delia. These men who know
Delia, a flower in a rough of weeds. That is what I got from this story in one sentence, although knowing my grammar possibly not. Hurston’s tale of a shattered woman, gives us a glimpse into what was possibly the life of women at that time. There were many convictions against men in the story, although it may have been unintentional, not to say she was a hard-core feminist there were episodes of male remorse.
Marriage is a concept that society takes extremely inaccurately. It is not something one can fall back from. Once someone enter it there is no way back. In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” she tells the story of Delia, a washerwoman whom Sykes, her husband, mistreats while he ventures around with other women and later attempts to kill Delia to open a way for a second marriage with one of his mistresses. By looking at “Sweat” through the feminist and historical lens Hurston illustrates the idea of a sexist society full of men exploiting and breaking down women until men dispose of them.
Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” is a distressing tale of human struggle as it relates to women. The story commences with a hardworking black washwoman named Delia contently and peacefully folds laundry in her quiet home. Her placidity doesn’t last long when her abusive husband, Sykes, emerges just in time to put her back in her ill-treated place. Delia has been taken by this abuse for some fifteen years. She has lived with relentless beatings, adultery, even six-foot long venomous snakes put in places she requires to get to. Her husband’s vindictive acts of torment and the way he has selfishly utilized her can only be defined as malignant. In the end of this leaves the hardworking woman no choice but to make the most arduous decision of her life. That is, to either stand up for herself and let her husband expire or to continue to serve as a victim. "Sweat,” reflects the plight of women during the 1920s through 30s, as the African American culture was undergoing a shift in domestic dynamics. In times of slavery, women generally led African American families and assumed the role as the adherent of the family, taking up domestic responsibilities. On the other hand, the males, slaves at the time, were emasculated by their obligations and treatment by white masters. Emancipation and Reconstruction brought change to these dynamics as African American men commenced working at paying jobs and women were abandoned at home. African American women were assimilated only on the most superficial of calibers into a subcategory of human existence defined by gender-predicated discrimination. (Chambliss) In accordance to this story, Delia was the bread victor fortifying herself and Sykes. Zora Neale Hurston’s 1926 “Sweat” demonstrates the vigor as wel...
In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the character of Janie Crawford experiences severe ideological conflicts with her grandmother, and the effects of these conflicts are far-reaching indeed. Hurston’s novel of manners, noted for its exploration of the black female experience, fully shows how a conflict with one’s elders can alter one’s self image. In the case of Janie and Nanny, it is Janie’s perception of men that is altered, as well as her perception of self. The conflict between the two women is largely generational in nature, and appears heart-breakingly inevitable.
Throughout the hundreds of years, individuals have pondered the impact of heavenly or insidious force, environment, hereditary qualities, even excitement, as deciding how free any individual is in settling on good decisions. Fate, a result of the past, is often described as the advancement of occasions out of man 's control, dictated by an extraordinary force. In any case that someone may utilize their freewill can reflect upon their outcomes, decided upon a supreme force, whether they are positive or negative. In the novels “A Lesson Before Dying,” Ernest Gaines and “The Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck, the authors explore the trials and tribulations of self influenced fate controlled by an higher force.
Karma is the ancient belief that every action has a negative or positive reaction, balancing the universe. Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare teaches the audience that all actions have consequences. She wanted the best for herself, but hurt others to achieve that. So, what could have been an astounding life turned into a living hell?