Sadekah Mahjabin

Professor Robert Balun and Sonja Killebrew

FIQWS 10108

September 2021

Summary and Response Essay on “Sweat”

“Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston is a story published in 1926 that introduces two characters, Delia a hardworking washwoman and her abusive and ignorant husband, Sykes during Springtime in Florida. Delia has maintained her composure and patience throughout the story, even when Sykes threatens her or engages in abusive behavior against her. Sykes appeared to find it amusing to taunt and torment Delia endlessly. As the story unfolds, Sykes becomes more violent, to the point where Delia is forced to act because she can no longer bear the enormous physical and mental anguish she is enduring. Throughout the story, the theme of domestic violence, and struggle appears and relates to the idea of “self and other.” As it is evident Sykes acts out of resentment and wrath, but Delia acts out of a desire to protect herself.

The issue of domestic violence appears several times in this story. To begin, Sykes’s initial threat came when he brought out a horsewhip that resembled like a snake, knowing well that Delia was terrified of snakes. She screamed, and Sykes sneered as she cried out in terror. This demonstrates how Sykes has no compassion for Delia and takes pleasure in seeing her terrified. One of Sykes’s first triggering moments occurs when he observes Delia washing white folk’s clothing, which causes him to get enraged and stomp the garments, threatening her that next time he would kick them outside. To generate an argument out of resent, Sykes exposes his “default settings,” which include his internal racism and deliberate ignorance. While Delia walked calmly around him, she began to re-arrange the clothing in her sight. Her “default settings” is revealed as she frantically attempts to avoid additional confrontation to protecting herself.

The climax of this story is when Sykes stepped roughly upon the whitest pile of things, kicking them as he crossed the room. Throughout the dispute, Sykes became more violent, both physically and verbally. He states:

“Ah don’t keer if you never git through. Anyhow, Ah done promised Gawd and a couple of other men, Ah aint gointer have it in mah house. Don’t gimme no lip neither, else Ah’ll throw ’em out and put mah fist up side yo’ head to boot” (Hurston 1023)

From this quote the theme of struggle is visible as we see how the main protagonist is being verbally abused and threatened by her husband and undergoes a mental anguish. At this point Delia decides that enough is enough, despite being frail and petite, she stands defensively and draws a pan on her husband. He was so taken aback by her acts that he anticipated she would regret them. This reaction by Delia is crucial to the story and the concept of “default setting,” as we witness how Delia ultimately breaks character and decides to hold back no longer from the continual abuse.

Sykes intends to get vengeance on Delia for defending herself, and to do so, he insinuates a snake into their home, knowing well that she is terrified of snakes. When Delia saw it, she ordered that Sykes get rid of it. Sykes then continues to walk out the door with his mistress, causing Delia to feel thoroughly humiliated. When Sykes returned, the snake was still in the same spot, and was bitten by it. Delia was the only one that was near to Sykes at the time he was bitten. Delia was in such shock that she decided to flee because she believed that too much time had elapsed that Sykes would not survive the poisoning if she waited. The quote: 

“Outside Delia heard a cry that might have come from a maddened chimpanzee, a stricken gorilla. All the terror, all the horror, all the rage that man possibly could express, without a recognizable human sound.” (Hurston 1029)

This quotation emphasizes how Sykes’ encounter with the rattlesnake is a moment of acknowledging the abuse and sin it symbolizes. He took all of this into the home, destroying his own soul and humanity in the process. Delia eventually gets up and sees Sykes crawling out on his hands and knees, his neck inflamed from the snakebite. She feels an enormous wave of pity, as Delia is a kind person at heart, and while knowing that it is too late to help Sykes, she goes to wait in the yard, recognizing that he understands what is happening to him.

I think that “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston is a powerful story that demonstrates how, in the end, the intentions that individuals release into the world, whether good or evil, will return to them as a reward or as a source of agony. Domestic violence is a significant issue and witnessing how the main protagonist of the story struggles to fight back demonstrates the long-term consequences of domestic abuse. It is stated in the text that Delia and Sykes have been married for more than fifteen years. For Delia to simply leave her husband must have been exceedingly tough as a woman in the 1900s, since it is evident that women had less opportunities to provide for themselves at that time. Women have suffered much throughout history, and this story has genuinely opened my eyes to the severity of domestic violence.

The characters’ default settings in Hurston’s novel “Sweat” mirror the course subject of “self and other” by demonstrating how Sykes’ misuse of power reveals his “default settings,” which include internal racism and deliberate ignorance. In the end, he was forced to confront the consequences of his actions, which resulted in his death. As for Delia, she reveals that her “default settings” includes avoiding additional confrontation. As a result, Delia has suffered severely both psychologically and physically.