Introduction
While “Sweat” by Zora Hurston is a short story, its perspective is broader than that of most books. Hurston examines many issues, including the challenges of marital violence, loneliness and religion, and race, by employing captivating and compelling symbolism. The most prominent element of the novel is the author’s investigation of the feminine condition, especially the objectification of women. As the story’s protagonist, Delia’s life is made more miserable by the physical burden of cruelty and hardship she endures at the hands of her husband, Sykes. Her subordination is thus not the result of a specific adversary but somewhat of situational influences. Hurston describes the consequences of the persistent and grueling oppression forms suffered by women such as Delia throughout the story.
Domestic Abuse
“Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston depicts the life of black women in marriage in the early 1900s as depicted in Hurston’s story. The story’s central theme is the domestic abuse that Delia Jones and Sykes endure in their marriage since they reside in a small black town in Florida. In Zola’s narrative, women are depicted as being subjected to violence to maintain the “Mrs.” title and be accepted by the church and society. Delia and Sykes’ actions in their marriage are rooted in domestic violence and abuse of one gender or another. Delia works hard and finds spiritual nourishment to keep the marriage together until Skye arrives. Her husband passed away as a result of the medication he had been prescribed. To illustrate the problem of domestic violence in black marriages and relationships, Zola uses such literary devices as symbolism, imagery, irony, place, and character.
There should be distinct definitions for domestic violence in cases dependent on an individual’s gender or perspective. For the sake of simplicity, domestic violence includes all forms of physical, emotional, and verbal abuse within a family. A romantic relationship or previous experiences are possibilities for individuals. Domestic violence is the most common and often reported kind of abuse. “Sweat” by Neal Hurston is an example of a short tale that deals with violence between men and women (Hurston 19). Viewpoints shift, and narration is occasionally in the third person to better explain the events, and the text contains diverse representations of domestic violence within male-female relationships.
“Sweat” strongly focuses on domestic violence, and it depicts using various literary devices by Hurston. Sykes was Delia’s husband for many years however he was abusive. In contrast to Delia, who is devoted to her work and spirituality and loyal to Sykes, a philanderer, and an aggressive, violent, nasty, and unpleasant man, the couple has different personalities. Their personalities test against one another, and Delia is terrified of Sykes because he wields a bullwhip. He makes her work hard by physically abusing her, trampling on her laundry, and cheating on her (Oates 356). When everything else fails, Sykes brings his terrified wife a rattlesnake inside the house. At every opportunity, he makes her life unpleasant and unbearable. The snake bites Sykes, and he dies as a result. A depiction of a black family living in poverty is depicted in the book. Hurston uses the story to convey the violence that can occur in a marriage. Women become more emotionally invested in their marriages when they follow a religious path. They are willing to put up with a lot for the sake of society and the church.
Solitude and Faith
Hurston portrays Delia as a character who spends most of her life in psychological seclusion while Sykes, her closest companion, consistently humiliates her. The man does not offer her any emotional comfort and seemingly thrives in her suffering. Delia follows her routine, which includes daily prayer with the same devotion as a monk in a monastery. In her state, labor is a kind of worship, demonstrating her responsibility as a Christian and her capacity for self-sustenance.
Hurston depicts genuine Christian devotion as supportive to an individual undergoing all types of adversity. Delia continuously works hard despite the many waves of abuse she receives from Sykes, primarily due to her belief in suffering before the triumph. The first quarrel between the couple occurs on Sunday night, which is on a day Delia attended church. Delia believes she may “build spiritual earthworks” to protect herself from his “shells” when lying in bed following the argument (Hurston 26). These words compare their fighting to divine struggle, employing the warfare terminology from World War I. Thus, her protection in this unending battle is her faith. Additionally, Hurston vividly relates Delia’s torment to that of the Messiah before the crucifixion. Delia is described in one instance as crawling “over the earth at Gethsemane and up the rocks at Calvary,” both crucial locations in Christ’s crucifixion story (Hurston 59). This metaphor depicts Delia as an innocent woman experiencing temporary suffering but will ultimately prevail.
Sykes essentially exploits Christian concepts and values to exert control over Delia. He accuses Delia of hypocrisy because she worships on Sunday and simultaneously works when this should be her resting day. However, this false claim works against him in two ways. Firstly, Sykes’s carelessness and laziness, particularly the wastage of money, have forced Delia to seek her means of supporting the family. Secondly, he calls Delia a fake for a little infraction, even though he habitually violates essential Christian teachings by abusing her and engaging in immorality. Ultimately, the author uses the story to challenge the concept of humility while also shifting the root of sinfulness.
Race and Class
“Sweat” is centered in an impoverished, all-black village in racialized twentieth-century Florida. While race and class are not fundamental to the story’s events, they naturally help build the narrative. Poverty is a major cause of difficulty in Delia’s background, shaping her bond with her husband. Delia labors tirelessly at her laundry and has spent most of her life “sweating, sweating, sweating!” to keep the family going (Hurston 18). Sykes detests her job, although it benefits him. He attempts to enforce the middle-class image of the male as the family’s breadwinner by ordering Delia around and intimidating her with physical harm if she disobeys him. Race as an issue is evident from the onset, when Sykes warns Delia, “Ah done tole you time and again to keep them white folks’ clothes outa dis house” (Hurston 8). This statement shows Sykes’s animosity towards his wife’s white bosses, which can be associated with Delia being their employee and not him.
However, as the reader learns about Sykes’s character, it becomes evident that this hate is much more profound. Sykes is aware of the system’s intrinsic racism, which permits whites to abuse black workers such as Delia without consequence. Most black individuals cannot earn a decent income due to these situations. The same applies to black female workers such as Delia. The author uses this component of the novel to analyze the implications of class and race on the spouse and the rest of society. Hurston highlights a neighborhood influenced by inequality and discrimination, as well as how these circumstances influence the livelihoods of underprivileged individuals.
In “Sweat,” the theme of class and race demonstrates how a novel’s location can infect all facets of the individual’s existence. Hurston depicts discrimination and destitution as significant issues that can elicit different effects. The author demonstrates, in particular, with Sykes, that the stress of being in a disadvantaged socioeconomic class may underlie ethically reprehensible actions, although it cannot justify it. Sykes has a harder time dealing with the consequences of discrimination, inequality, and deprivation. He vents his displeasure on his wife instead of those genuinely perpetrating tyranny. On the other hand, Delia is more pragmatic, thrives in hardship, and does not wallow in bitterness.
Conclusion
Even though the narrative’s brevity prevents the characters from being as fully developed as those in typically longer writings, “Sweat” nevertheless has a scope to it that is unique in short tales. Hurston portrays Delia’s household censure, emphasizing her widespread persecution, yet she refuses to label her heroine as a victim. Thus, she triumphs despite her obstacles, and the author uses a succession of powerful imagery to present her storyline as self-liberation rather than helplessness. Furthermore, her utilization of dialect gives dimension to the narrative by incorporating the social diversity in which the subjects lived without overpowering the narration.
Works Cited
Hurston, Zora Neale. Sweat. Rutgers University Press, 1997. 1-246.
Oates, Joyce Carol, Ed. The oxford book of American short stories. Oxford University Press, USA, 1992. 352- 364.