What is the main idea of Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston?
“Sweat” tells the story of a domestically abused, religiously devout laundress and her adulterous, deadbeat husband. The dominant theme is good versus evil, but the story also incorporates the themes of hard work versus laziness and fate.
What literary devices are used in Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston?
Literary Devices
- Symbolism: the rattle sanke is one example of symbolism used to represent Delias fears and Skyes inconsideration towards Delias feelings.
- Foreshadowing:througout the book Hurston hints to the readers of what going to happen to Skye in the ending.
- Imagery.
What did the snake represent in Sweat?
The snake itself is a symbol of Sykes and the venom he spits at Delia in the form of verbal, psychological and physical abuse. Keeping him around the house is just as dangerous as a venomous snake. In a surprise twist of fate, the snake ends up biting and killing Sykes and saves Delia from an awful marriage.
What are some themes of the story Sweat?
Sweat Themes
- Domestic Abuse. In “Sweat,” Hurston clearly and directly condemns domestic abuse.
- Christianity. Christian belief plays a major role in “Sweat,” both in the characters’ lives and words, and in the way that the story itself interacts with Biblical stories.
- Hard Work vs. Entitlement.
- Race and Class.
What does Sweat symbolize in Sweat?
What does sweat represent in the short story Sweat? In the short story, sweat represents the hardships in Delia’s life. Delia sweats while working as a washerwoman, and she also sweats when her husband abuses her and sweats as she prays.
How does situational irony help to reveal the meaning of this story Sweat?
Situational Irony Hurston uses the snake to symbolize Delia’s fear and also to foreshadow Sykes death towards the end of the story. In the story, Sykes’ uses his bull whip as a snake and scares Delia with it.
What does the Iron Skillet represent in Sweat?
An iron skillet can be pretty dangerous when wielded like a baseball bat. Getting slammed in the face with that could knock Sykes’s teeth out. It’s a symbolic and literal weapon against Sykes’s threats of abuse and it reveals that Delia has the capacity to act in a violent manner.
What is the tone of the story Sweat?
There’s a reason the intimate, cozy and confessional tone is used only with Delia—it makes us sympathize with her and, heck, maybe even understand her situation.
What do the trees and flowers symbolize in Sweat?
The Chinaberry Tree Flowers and fruits and plants in general are a common symbol in Hurston’s short stories and novels, nearly always symbolizing womanhood and fertility. Chinaberry trees are not native to Florida; they are an invasive species that was brought to Florida to be planted as an ornamental tree.
What does the whip symbolize in Sweat?
The whip also evokes two effective images: one of Sykes’s impotence as a man and the other, the snake, as symbolic of Sykes’s perverted power, which will eventually destroy him.