The story Sweat by Hurston is probably one of the most profound works of the author. Indeed, in it, Hurston raises such issues as male dominance, the feeling of communion with one’s race, and slavery instilled into people through years of hard work and oppression. Perhaps the best-portrayed theme and the most controversial one is the recreation of slavery on the part of Afro-Americans who have just been freed of it. Hurston suggests that while some Afro-Americans were freed to lead their lives disregarding white dominance, others could not embrace freedom wholeheartedly and reproduced slavery and oppression patterns in their families, causing trouble to themselves and their kin.
The story features the family life of Delia and Sykes, two Afro-Americans who probably share the same history of oppression. However, their characters turn out to be completely different, which leads to disagreement and, in the end, a tragic final. Delia, the main protagonist, symbolizes free choice and a striving to embrace life wholeheartedly. Thus, despite her hard work, she has many concepts she cherishes and she is not ready to give up under any circumstances.
One of such object is her house, which she earned herself without any help from her husband. For Delia, the house symbolizes material freedom, and a place where she can be herself and do what she likes. Understanding that her relations with Sykes are forever spoilt, she believes she can still be happy within the walls she took so much pain to erect. Thus, Hurston says: “Too late for everything except her little home. She has built it herself […] and planted one by one the trees and the flowers. It was lovely to her, lovely. (p. 1024). The description shows that Delia, tired and life-beaten as she was, still had dreams and desires that were the embodiment of her inner world.
Another concept that shows that Delia was able to enjoy life and freedom is the fact that she sang while working. For her, work to get herself what she needed was not tiresome; instead, she took pleasure in what she had. Delia also found joy and comfort in visiting church, where she could take part in church singing. All this shows that Delia was not ready to live by the old patterns of slavery and male dominance that prevailed in Afro-American society for years. Instead, she “seems to have lived, on some level at least, purposefully framing her future” (Engle, p. 195).
Sykes, on the other hand, is the embodiment of tradition and male suppression. Thus, Engle states that “Sykes never breaks from the slavery conventions he inherited [and] remains a slaveowner in his attitude towards his wife” (p. 195). The constant beatings and humiliations he heaps upon Delia is the remnant of those times when he was a slave himself, having only his kin to pour anger on for the injustice of the world. Hurston shows that the abolition of slavery in itself has not resulted to the change in the vision of some groups who remain enslaved in their consciousness. This idea is supported by Green, who says that in Sweat “the master-slave narrative underlies the male dominance of woman, with the woman filling the role of slave to her male counterpart’s role of master” (para. 3).
This dominating attitude and anger against the world may be brought about by Sykes’ alienation from his community. Indeed, the readers see that male Afro-Americans shy away form Sykes and he has only the company of his mistress to amuse himself. Hurston illustrates this aloofness with the episode with a melon, saying that “a determined silence fell on the porch and the melon was put away” on the arrival of Sykes and Bertha (p. 1025).
The more distant Sykes becomes from the Afro-American community, the worst features he exhibits, culminating in his desire to kill Delia with the help of a snake. Charles says that the fact that “Sykes opts for adultery at the expense of male friendship implies that […] fraternal intimacy is essential for salvation” (p. 56). Thus, Hurston wanted to show that, for Afro-Americans, community support is essential to help them shake off the burden of oppression and aggression they got used to in the years of slavery.
Depicting a contrast between a freedom-loving and self-sufficient Delia and Sykes who cannot break out of the bondage of slavery, Hurston shows how the situation can be resolved. For her, the male domination and oppression practices must definitely become redundant. Those Afro-Americans who are unable to change them risk sharing the fate of Sykes who died by his own foolishness (Green). The image of a lonely and unhappy Sykes is contrasted by other Afro-American males who condemn his treatment of Delia and enjoy themselves on the porch. By painting this picture, the author shows that Afro-Americans can be happy once they get rid of slavery bondage in their minds.
Moreover, Sykes’ death serves the purpose of Delia’s final liberation. Self-sufficient as she was, she was still afraid of Sykes’ male strength and the beatings he regularly gave her. While she was ready to defy Sykes when he wanted to take away her home, she still pitied him and her moral considerations prevented her from disregarding his wishes. Delia lets him keep the snake not only because she has no way out but also out of the habit of obeying his wishes. Green rightly notices that “[Syke’s] death is required to complete her transformation” from an enslaved and obedient wife to a person who knows what she wants and is ready to fight for it (para 21).
The story Sweat by Hurston depicts domination and aggression in the family life of Afro-Americans and draws parallels between the male domination and slavery. The author claims that not all Afro-Americans are ready to discard their past and some of them still use master-slave patterns in relation to their kin. To fight these practices, a close bond with the Afro-American community must be formed. Individuals may always find support and solace within the community and finally learn to get rid of the vicious practices they use.
Works Cited
Charles, Julia S. “Fraternal Fractures: Marriage, Masculinity, and Malicious Menfolk in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” and “Magnolia Flower”.” Women’s Studies vol. 50, no. 1, 2021, pp. 48-60. Web.
Engle, Patricia McCloskey. “Bachelard’s “Discontinuous Bergsonism” in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat”: How Self-Generation of “Pure Time” Engenders Free Choice”. In Origins and Futures: Time Inflected and Reflected, edited by Steineck, Raji C., and Claudia Clausius, BRILL, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central. Web.
Green, Suzanne D. “Fear, Freedom, and the Perils of Ethnicity: Otherness in Kate Chopin’s’ Beyond the Bayou’and Zora Neale Hurston’s’ Sweat’.” Southern Studies vol 5, no. 3 1994, pp. 105-124.
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat” in The Oxford Book of American Short Stories edited by Joyce Carol Oates. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992.