Sweat short story summary. Zora Neale Hurston Sweat Summary 2022-12-27

Sweat short story summary Rating: 5,2/10 270 reviews

"Sweat" is a short story written by Zora Neale Hurston, published in 1926. It tells the story of Delia Jones, a washerwoman and laundress who lives in rural Florida in the early 20th century. Delia is a strong and hardworking woman, but she is also deeply mistreated by her abusive husband, Sykes.

The story begins with Delia washing clothes in her backyard and discussing her difficult marriage with her neighbor, Louise. Delia admits that she is afraid of Sykes and his violent temper, but she also feels trapped in the marriage because she has nowhere else to go. Louise advises Delia to leave Sykes, but Delia is too afraid to do so.

As the story continues, we see the extent of Sykes's abuse towards Delia. He constantly belittles her and threatens her with physical violence. He even goes so far as to sell Delia's most prized possession, a cow, without her consent. Despite all of this, Delia continues to work hard to support herself and her husband, hoping that one day things will get better.

One day, Sykes comes home from work in a particularly bad mood. He accuses Delia of being unfaithful and threatens to kill her. Delia is terrified, but she refuses to back down. She stands up to Sykes and tells him that she will not be mistreated any longer. This act of defiance enrages Sykes, and he chases Delia into the backyard, where he intends to beat her.

As Sykes chases Delia, she starts to sweat profusely. The sweat represents the physical and emotional toll that Delia's marriage has taken on her. It is also a symbol of her determination and resilience, as she fights to stand up for herself and escape her abusive husband.

In the end, Delia is able to outmaneuver Sykes and escape his grasp. She runs away from the house and finds shelter with Louise. The story ends with Delia looking at her own sweat-soaked clothes and feeling a sense of freedom and liberation.

Overall, "Sweat" is a powerful and poignant tale of a woman's struggle against abuse and oppression. It highlights the strength and determination of Delia, who refuses to be a victim and instead fights for her own survival and dignity.

Sweat: Full Story Summary

sweat short story summary

Sykes orders extravagantly for Bertha as Delia drives by in her wagon, bringing more laundry home. Although she realizes it is too late for her marriage to be good, she takes comfort in the house that she has built and made beautiful with flowers and trees. Further, the story's narrator compares Delia's hard life to Christ's passion. She sees Sykes's hand grab a window stick and hears dull blows on the wooden floor as he beats the snake to death. Hurton portrays many messages in her stories without having to explicitly spell it out.

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Zora Neale Hurston Sweat Summary

sweat short story summary

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. The rattling starts again. Having found emotional peace, Delia goes to sleep. She yells at Sykes to get rid of the snake. He also threatens to beat Delia. This indicates a patriarchal decision to avoid interfering in the affairs of another man.


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Summary Of Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

sweat short story summary

They claim that Sykes doesn't deserve her. The sly little devil gets in Delia's clothes and she flees to the barn. She says that the U. See Plot Diagram Summary Abusive Marriage During a Sunday night in Florida, As she continues to work, Sykes kicks the sorted clothes into a jumble. Husbands would hit their wives to establish their power in the relationship, even when the wives did not do anything to deserve such cruel brutality. Suddenly, something long and black falls over her shoulder. Although she is abused by her husband, Delia is actually a stronger character than meets the eye.

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Delia's Tenacity in the Short Story "Sweat" by Hurston

sweat short story summary

Delia, who refers directly to the rattlesnake as "ol' scratch" and "ol' satan," recognizes it as an instrument of evil. Although the language is somewhat difficult to understand initially, it adds to the mystique of the story. Delia and Sykes continue to fight. Everyone chips in and they are about to slice up a large melon when Sykes and his mistress Bertha appear. The snake slithers out of the basket onto the bed. He tells her to look in the box.

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Sweat Summary & Analysis

sweat short story summary

The heroine changes her life radically, getting rid of the abuse, which testifies to her spiritual strength. Delia gets up from the dinner table and astonishes Sykes by proclaiming that she hates him and telling him to get out of the house. Another man comments that they all ought to take Sykes and his mistress down to the swamp and beat them both, and the others seem to agree. The story centres on Delia, a washerwoman in a small central Florida town. She feels ill and begins to creep away when she hears him calling for her.


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Zora Hurston Sweat Summary

sweat short story summary

She goes to strike a match for light and, finding only one, concludes that Sykes and Bertha must have been there while she was gone. Oscar, the often-ignored Colombian American busboy, escorts her to the bathroom. Delia knows Sykes would see signs that she had been in the house, like the tubs. Just as Jessie is vulnerably sharing her unrealized dreams of seeing the world as a young woman, Tracey bursts in. Some men like Sykes just use up women and then throw them away. 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.

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Analysis and Summary of “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston

sweat short story summary

In this essay she touches upon many deep topics, including self identity and how the world responds to it. Through the conflict Delia Jones faces throughout the short story, she begins to development a stronger, assertive attitude. In her time, doing this was very daring and for her to say the unpopular opinion was exceedingly brave of her. The first approach sees Delia's hatred as a threat to her religious beliefs. She finds great peace in the church service and returns home singing. He thinks Jason and Chris should move on and get out of Reading. After letting the house door stand open for a few minutes, he cautiously enters.

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Sweat Story Summary

sweat short story summary

Indeed, the hatred Delia feels for her husband is as strong as the love she once felt for him. Although each of the marriages was very different from one another, they all shared the same underlying conflict: a power struggle between genders. Delia reflects, "She had brought love to the union and he had brought a longing after the flesh. Terrified, Sykes jumps onto the bed. This transformation is gradually seen through her three marriages. Jason comments that Oscar is kind to take care of him, and Oscar replies that this is how things should be. In 1937, Hurston published one of her more well-known works, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

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Sweat Plot Summary

sweat short story summary

Thinking more about the ways that Sykes has wronged her, Delia concludes that he will eventually get what is coming to him. While she thinks that it is too late for her to find love, she consoles herself with the thought of finding peace in her lovely home. Clarke agrees they can slice it if they each pay a share, but before they can cut it, Sykes and Bertha arrive. But instead, she allows the events to unfold, thereby letting God's will happen. The story is told from the point of view of the characters, and Hurston writes the dialogue in their broken English dialect. Wall states, "She exacts her revenge but at a terrible spiritual cost.

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