Hurston opens a curtain to the life of spouses that never meant to be ones. The complex and symbolic plot of the “Sweat” goes around the relationships between Delia and her husband Sykes and parallels in which there is an evident problem of domestic violence starting from the exposition. Sykes started to beat up his wife only two months after their wedding. Additionally, he was constantly cheating on her and gained a reputation of an “adulterous man” that spent off Delia’s money on numerous flings. The latest mistress of Sykes was promised the house that Delia purchased through her own sweat of extremely hard work. Numerous scenes of violence, abuse, and disrespect are illustrated throughout the story. However, Delia is not only a woman that suffers from her husband’s oppression. There is an evident example of structural violence since Delia was working for white people as a washerwoman. Hence, Delia is not only a feminist icon but a black woman that tries to end the vicious cycle.
The symbol of a snake as a tool of punishment could be compared to the Biblical image of a serpent. Delia is a faithful Christian that represents constant kindness and the virtue of love. She “had brought love to the union” that was clearly above showing the core principle of “turning the other cheek” (Hurston, 1997, p.41). Empowerment happened when the so-called “karma” principle worked and instead of being poisoned by her husband Delia gained liberty. However, as proposed by Hurt (1993), the snake represents the “evil side” of Delia that he could not deny as she did not warn Sykes nor did she save him. My personal feeling towards the presented storyline was continuous compassion for Delia and her struggle. She is the voice of women that experienced not only discrimination based on gender but on her ethnicity and origin as well as occupation. Finally, I believe that it is a fair final that shows how an oppressed side stops being a victim and punishes the abuser. It is the symbol of anticipated victory that black women of the low-paid class could only hope for during these times.
References
Hurd, M. R. (1993). What goes around comes around: Characterization, climax, and closure in Hurston’s ” Sweat”. The Langston Hughes Review, 12(2), 7-15.
Hurston, Z. N. (1997). Sweat. Rutgers University Press.