Preview

Zora Hurston Sweat Summary

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
828 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Zora Hurston Sweat Summary
A Deeper Look into Sweat by Zora Hurston
The short story Sweat by Zora Hurston shows a lot of the troubles women faced years ago, even today with empowerment. It talks about how a woman overcomes her husband she feared for a long time. The two main characters of this short story, Delia and Sykes experienced an extreme amount of conflict throughout the story. For starters Sykes is very abusive with Delia and he treats her as if she is nothing. Sykes creates more conflict between the two by running his bull whip across her shoulder causing her to freak out because it resembles a snake, which Delia is afraid of. Everything he does to her is done on purpose and he doesn’t show any remorse. Although Sykes continuously does Delia wrong she doesn’t
…show more content…
First was the short story The story of an hour, about a lady who wanted to be independent and who was way happier about her husband dying than any normal person would be. Although, her husband wasn’t abusive like Delia’s husband, he was really controlling. With these stories being taken place in such long ago it was common for the men to be like this and the women to be very dependent. What makes these two stories similar is how they both wanted to overcome their husbands, be free and independent. Sweat was also similar to a movie I’ve watched by Tyler Perry called “Diary of a mad black women.” The couple in the movie faces conflict as well, for instance, when her husband cheats on her and tries to put her out the house. That scene connects well with Sweat because Syke cheats on Delia with Bretha and wants Delia to leave the house so Bretha can move in. I also found that the two connected when in Diary of a mad black women the husband got into a crash and couldn’t do for himself he called for his wife after he had been doing her so wrong, expecting her to be there for him, just like how Syke expected Delia to be there for him when he was bitten by the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Sweat tells a short story about a black, washerwoman, Delia that lives in Florida with her abusive husband, Sykes. Sykes is a very unkind man because he likes to physically and mentally abuse Delia. Delia was abused early into the marriage, but never seek to escape. Furthermore, Delia works really hard to earn money to support both Sykes and herself since he is unemployed. Yet, Sykes still have the audacity to resent Delia for cleaning “white folks” clothes in their home. He also uses her hard earned money on his mistress, Bertha. Sykes, as practical joker, knows that Delia has an intense fear of snakes and still brings it around to constantly scare her. Eventually, the people in the town started noticing their relationship and led Delia to the conclusion that she did not need Sykes in any way and no longer wants to be in a marriage with him. Coincidentally, Sykes was getting fed up with the marriage and decided to kill Delia by putting a poisoned rattlesnake in her washing clothes. Ironically, the rattlesnake ended up biting Sykes in the neck badly and it was evident that Delia did not make an attempt to help her husband because the hospitals were too far. So he laid there suffering and dying in pain while pleading for help. The story ends with her waiting for his time of death quietly under the chinaberry tree…

    • 1586 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Colloquial speech is used by many authors in order to give a sense of realism to their writing. In "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston, every character speaks in colloquial speech. This style of writing gives the reader a real sense of the South in a way no other style of writing can. Dialogue is how Hurston gets her point across using colloquial speech in writing her dialogue her dialogue.…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    It's always amazing how much pain one human being is able to endure, and Delia Jones in "Sweat" is no exception. She runs her own household, works full time, feeds and clothes her husband, and deals with his daily verbal, mental, and physical abuse. How could anyone keep on with their lives given such dire circumstances? For Delia, it's all thanks to G-O-D. Delia's faith is a big part of her life, and Hurston's story is ripe with allusions to religious symbols, themes, and metaphors. In fact, the story itself could be seen as one big testament to the power of faith, as Sykes' sins catch up with him in the end while Delia's devotion brings her to a better…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    'The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 95% of the victims of domestic violence are women, and they also estimate that a women is beating by their partner everyone 15 seconds in just the United States alone. ' [ (Domestic Peace) ]. Domestic violence is something that is very prevalent in today 's society. What makes it such an awful crime is that most people never really witness it because it happens behind the close doors of people 's homes. Also, what makes it worse is that most of these women, who are the victims to these crimes, don 't go and seek help, they just bottle up their emotions and angers and keep to themselves. In "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston, the main character, Delia, is a hard working wife in Florida who makes ends meat from her job cleaning other peoples clothes. She is a very good women but her husband, Sykes, is always trying to pick fights with her and harasses her with more methods than one. He treats her with no respect what so ever and even has a girlfriend that Delia knows about on the side. Sykes complains frequently about the size of Delia 's figure claiming that she is too skinny. One day Sykes captures a rattlesnake and places it in their home, which scares Delia, who is terrified of snakes, to death each time she sees or hears it. Then when arriving home one day she sees the snake has gone missing from its cage and she immediately leaves her house. Skyes comes home not too long later and Delia watches him and he gets bitten by the snake. Delia could have gone and tried to get help but instead she just watched him die there because she did not love him what so ever anymore. Hurston truly captures all the feelings and emotions felt by Delia throughout the story. Hurston also gives a different perspective of the characters in the book by looking in on local people in the towns conversations about Delia…

    • 955 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “In the male-dominated society of the early 1900s, women had a certain place with specific duties to fulfill. Women were pretty to look at, but had no mind of their own. Thus, they didn’t need to make speeches, voice their opinion, or vote. Women could work in the home, on the farm, or in a store, but that was as close as they got to the world of the men. Outside of work, women did not join in the activities of the men. A woman’s opinions and beliefs were defined by her husband; each wife was a silent, supportive shadow. Into a society with this ingrained mindset stepped Zora Neale Hurston, leading the way for other…

    • 1289 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Money is the root of all things evil. When a person put money before their beliefs and values a lot of things can go wrong. Delia and Missie May are the two women Hurston wanted you to see what money do to two different type if people, one self-made and one depended on money given. Delia was the woman that had to work hard for everything she wanted and have. She is not a person who let money define her, whereas you have, Missie May, a housewife and her husband gives her everything she wanted and needed. It’s Funny how Hurston depicted two different kind of bad marriages. In “The Gilded Six-Bits” the wife cheats on the husband where as in “sweat” the husband cheats on the wife. In both stories, Hurston tested a Woman’s strengths and weakness…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I chose to elaborate on the theological points of Zora Neale Hurston “Sweats”. She uses theological references to create a parallel between the characters in sweat and biblical figures to expand the ethics issues present in the text. Through references to master or slave relationships and religious symbolism, Hurston also takes the struggle and triumph of feminism. Sweat is filled with symbols such as the Garden of Eden, snakes, white clothing and Satan. Delia carries the theme of faith through each challenge she faces.…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As t he sun begins to set, and the evening nears closer and closer, you can hear the screeching of dining room chairs making their way onto the front porch. The boiling pot of secrets just about to spill over from the loose lips of the porch’s gazers, which are salivating over the thought of discussing the news of the town; that of which spread like quick fire . Not stationary to their porches the gazers are like investigate reporters, just waiting, to find a new story to talk about. In Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God , the importance of group discussion and bond forming bonds between women was essential to make it through the struggles and battles that the women faced. The concept of a “Strong Black Woman” was proven to be true in , but it also proves that even being a strong black woman, having another woman to talk to is a powerful force all in itself.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston was written in 1926 during the time of the Harlem Renaissance, capturing the ideas of slavery, poverty, and equality. Zora Neale Hurston was an American novelist, short story writer, folklorist, and anthropologist known for her contributions to African-American literature. This story shows the life of a hard-working wash woman, named Delia, who lives with her abusive, unfaithful and unemployed husband, Sykes. In order to pay the bills and put food on the table for herself, Delia must work as a wash woman. In this day in time women are not able to work real jobs because of the discrimination and inequality of women in the workplace.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sweat, by Zora Neale Hurston, tells the story of one woman’s struggle against the husband that has become the overwhelming source of her unhappiness. Hurston does this effectively by the use of exquisite symbolism. Delia often brings home a pile of clothes from work to wash. These clothes are repeatedly used as representation for the current state of Delia’s life, usually in direct correspondence to Sykes, her husband. Sykes, being the constant pest he is, often complains to Delia,saying ‘Ah done tole you time and again to keep them white folks’ clothes outa dis house”(1). This quote could possibly be related to racism, however, it has an underlying meaning. Delia sorts the clothes almost like she sorts her…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “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.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first influence was Hurston's childhood town of Eatonville and its economic situation (Lillios 13). Hurston's town was ideal for a young African-American girl in the early nineteenth century, providing a safe haven from restrictions of race (Howard 16). The town also preserved its African-American culture and history due to its seclusion from Winter Park (Seidel 110-111). "Sweat" reveals much of Hurston's nostalgic memories, though it primarily focuses on Eatonville's economic dependence on the neighboring town of Winter Park. When Hurston was growing up many of Winter Park's inhabitants were white snow birds with money. Like Delia in "Sweat," African-American residents of Eatonville made daily pilgrimages across the rail road tracks to clean houses, tend gardens, cook meals and watch the children of Winter Park. Hurston took advantage of this situation by working as a maid, though she failed by refusing to behave humbly and fought off sexual advances by her employers (Howard…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1975, Ms. Magazine published Alice Walker's essay, "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston" reviving interest in the author. Hurston's four novels and two books of folklore resulted from extensive anthropological research and have proven invaluable sources on the oral cultures of African America. Zora Neale Hurston is considered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature. Hurston was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance and has influenced such writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Gayle Jones, Alice Walker, and Toni Cade Bambara. Through her writings, Robert Hemenway wrote in The Harlem Renaissance Remembered, Hurston "helped to remind the Renaissance--especially its more bourgeois members--of the richness in the racial heritage." (http://zoranealehurston.com/)…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zora Neale Hurston

    • 2006 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Zora Neale Hurston was an astounding Afro-American author who was recognized not for being the first Afro-American writer, but rather for her ability to bring forth her cultural language and imagery. If not for Zora's pioneering effort as a female black writer, the world of modern literature would have never seen the cultural insights of the African American culture in such a candid way.…

    • 2006 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Multicultural Items

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Jean Rhys’ “The Day They Burned the Books,” she recounts a story of an abusive husband and a wife who just takes the punishment as if she deserves it. The wife, Mrs. Sawyer, sees it as her place to allow this to happen. This type of behavior is not very prevalent in the world today, but it still happens. It was far more common sixty years ago and before where women were expected to be at the call of their husbands and do anything to please them, as they were the bread winners and supporters of the family. As women collectively – and deservedly – demanded more, this type of behavior diminished in most parts of the world. Where this behavior once was or possibly still is a part of a different culture around the world, this is far different than anything found in the western world.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics