When you read a story you aren’t necessarily completely caught up on the events proceeding to the start of the story. You usually have to be told by the author or by context clues what the backstory is. Sometimes this is not necessarily clear throughout the story. In the story Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston, she cleverly does this by adding a group of characters that allow the reader to be informed on the events leading up to the odd relationship between Delia and Sykes. They allow an easy transition in between stagnant parts of the story where the reader would normally be asking questions about the story to oneself. They add to the story’s smoothness and help to progress the story in a seamless and natural fashion without the author having to …show more content…
Right when you are coming up with the question that the story has brought out. Such as after the first section when we first see the manner in which Sykes treats Delia the men explain their relationship: “She better is she wanter eat, Syke Jones aint wuth de shot an’ powder hit would tek tuh kill ‘em. Not to huh he aint” (Hurston 106). He was saying this in response to one of the other men stating that no matter what the conditions are or the time of day, Delia is out everyday collecting and returning laundry. Even though his statement might be difficult to comprehend that one statement by itself provides us with alot of insight. It shows what kind of man Sykes is by telling us that she is the main provider for the family and he takes advantage of that and complains about the work she does and who she does it for. Where he has no right to, and the men on the porch realize what kind of man Sykes is and what he’s done to her, “Too much knockin’ will ruin any’oman” (Hurston 106). He beats her and has broken her down over the years they've been together. How else would we have been able to get this information unless these village men were there to tell …show more content…
This is a common theme in alot of old plays mainly used by the Greeks. In between scenes people would come out to interact with the audience and provide them with information that they predicted the audience would need or be wondering. That way the audience didn’t have a chance to get lost and fall behind throughout the play. We can see that completely inserted into this story with the group of men on the porch that break up the story into sections. When they break two sections apart they do so in a way that is smooth and seems like it fits in the story but it is really necessary for the story. We could not fully grasp the story and get its full meaning without the help and perspective of these
Throughout the piece, we see the use of audience as active participants to amplify the didactic message of the play. In the literature we see many instances where the author uses this cognitive distancing as a way to disrupt the stage illusion and make the audience active members of the play. Forcing the audience into an analytical standpoint as opposed to passively accepting whats happening in their conscious minds. This occurs time and time again in the fourth act of the play. The characters repeatedly break down the fourth wall and engage the audience with open participation. We see this in the quotation from the end of the fourth Act of the play:
Setting, including physical location and time, is essential for establishing the backgrounds and identities of characters in a piece. Even within countries like the United States, where English is the national language and spoken by almost everyone, regional influences on language exist. The way a character speaks and communicates is an important part of their personal identity as a character, as well as an expression of their regional and cultural background. In Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat, the dialect of the South used by the characters is a ready example of the influence of culture on one’s language. The heavy influences of culture are apparent in many texts, and a change in time or location would alter the language and mannerisms of speech
Zora Neale Hurston an early twentieth century Afro-American feminist author, was raised in a predominately black community which gave her an unique perspective on race relations, evident in her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston drew on her on experiences as a feminist Afro-American female to create a story about the magical transformation of Janie, from a young unconfident girl to a thriving woman. Janie experiences many things that make her a compelling character who takes readers along as her companion, on her voyage to discover the mysteries and rewards life has to offer.
In the beginning, Delia is a meek, quiet wife who takes whatever her abusive husband, Sykes, throws at her. Despite Delia begging Sykes to stop tormenting her with her worst fear, snakes, Sykes refuses and instead says “Ah don’t keer how bad Ah skeer you.” By listening to the men gossip on the porch, the audience learns that Delia has been putting up with Sykes’ abuse for a long time, he’s even started cheating on her with another woman. At this point in the story, Delia is innocent because she still hopes to make her marriage work and even hopes that Sykes will one day value the work she’s invested into their life together, as she’s the sole provider. Her being loyal to Sykes despite years of ridicule is a very important detail because it shows Delia’s hope and perseverance. The first time the audience begins to see Delia’s innocence fade is when she tells Sykes she’s moved her church membership to Woodbridge. After Sykes brings a rattlesnake to the village, Delia hates him so much that it’s a chore to even see him. She also tells him that he can lay around with his mistress, Bertha, all he wants, but he has to get his things and leave her home. Delia no longer considers the house their home, now it’s only hers and she wants nothing to do with Sykes. This shows Delia losing her innocence because she begins to see Sykes for what he is; not a tough husband,
Delia, a flower in a rough of weeds. That is what I got from this story in one sentence, although knowing my grammar possibly not. Hurston’s tale of a shattered woman, gives us a glimpse into what was possibly the life of women at that time. There were many convictions against men in the story, although it may have been unintentional, not to say she was a hard-core feminist there were episodes of male remorse.
Marriage is a concept that society takes extremely inaccurately. It is not something one can fall back from. Once someone enter it there is no way back. In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” she tells the story of Delia, a washerwoman whom Sykes, her husband, mistreats while he ventures around with other women and later attempts to kill Delia to open a way for a second marriage with one of his mistresses. By looking at “Sweat” through the feminist and historical lens Hurston illustrates the idea of a sexist society full of men exploiting and breaking down women until men dispose of them.
Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” is a distressing tale of human struggle as it relates to women. The story commences with a hardworking black washwoman named Delia contently and peacefully folds laundry in her quiet home. Her placidity doesn’t last long when her abusive husband, Sykes, emerges just in time to put her back in her ill-treated place. Delia has been taken by this abuse for some fifteen years. She has lived with relentless beatings, adultery, even six-foot long venomous snakes put in places she requires to get to. Her husband’s vindictive acts of torment and the way he has selfishly utilized her can only be defined as malignant. In the end of this leaves the hardworking woman no choice but to make the most arduous decision of her life. That is, to either stand up for herself and let her husband expire or to continue to serve as a victim. "Sweat,” reflects the plight of women during the 1920s through 30s, as the African American culture was undergoing a shift in domestic dynamics. In times of slavery, women generally led African American families and assumed the role as the adherent of the family, taking up domestic responsibilities. On the other hand, the males, slaves at the time, were emasculated by their obligations and treatment by white masters. Emancipation and Reconstruction brought change to these dynamics as African American men commenced working at paying jobs and women were abandoned at home. African American women were assimilated only on the most superficial of calibers into a subcategory of human existence defined by gender-predicated discrimination. (Chambliss) In accordance to this story, Delia was the bread victor fortifying herself and Sykes. Zora Neale Hurston’s 1926 “Sweat” demonstrates the vigor as wel...
Her work as a wash woman becomes a crucial point of the story. She is not willing to engage in this confrontation until Syke pushes her to snap. She stands up to him in an act of both agency...
'You sho' is one aggravatin' nigger woman!'; this is only one example of the abuse in Zora Neale Hurston's short story, 'Sweat'. Spousal abuse is a very common issue in today's society. Hurston represents this form of abuse through the way the husband talks to his wife and the way he treats her.
The fragment we were given is a three paragraph narration that has longer sentences at the beginning and little by little begins shortening them until by the final paragraph they are very short. The long sentences being used to slow down the time that will be very important in the passage and hence to build up the suspense and tension in the ambience until the sentences become short and speed up the time in the story, building the tension more and more to a point where it seems like something is coming or something will occur. The story is also told by a protagonist narrator which we know thanks to the use of the first person and the direct access to the character’s mind along with his feelings and thoughts. This narrator is retelling us the story (“I have naturally no wish to enlarge on this phase of my story. (…) I would have passed it over if I didn’t think that some account of it was necessary for a full understanding of what follows”[line 19-20]) of his trip over to Ransom’s house, a path which will trigger his paranoia and fear. The style of the writing is very direct as the narrator is practically in a one-sided dialogue with his readers.
As we progress though the novel, we a introduced to a variety of characters in the story like Rachel Turner
...cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye.” Hurston does a great job linking this foreshadow detail in the middle of the story to the very last sentence of the ending. This proves that after Sykes death Delia will be able to start a new life and enter the Promised Land. The outcome of the battle of good versus evil and the overthrow of evil is particularly strong in the last two paragraphs. The author’s use of imagery is strong in these passages, in particular the image of dark being overcome by light. The quote, “the sun crept on up, and he called. Delia could not move–her legs were gone flabby. She never moved, he called, and the sun kept rising”, is symbolic because even in the darkness of his death the sun is still rising. This represents the victory of Delia overcoming evil. The sun is not only the image of a new day, but a new life for Delia.
a section, not a long one, just a few short paragraphs that fill in that gap and satisfy the need. The stage notes, are again added to add both enjoyment to the play through understanding it better and to satisfy Miller’s own want to see everyone understand it – apparently when the first reviews of the play appeared and from them it was obviously that many people had not fully understood it all he was very annoyed and added in to help it all become clearer. In a play, perhaps these notes could appear in a programme that people could read during the interval. If a narrator was simply reading them, I think people would simply get more confused and even irate. It is surely much better to have the words written down so that people can take their own time to understand them and take them in with regard to the play itself.
In literature, the significant themes of a story can sometimes be developed within dramatic death scenes. With that being said, Zora Neale Hurston 's presents an unappreciated housewife and her high-class husband 's sinful ways which ultimately lead to the husband 's unplanned death, in her short story “Sweat”. The concluding death scene can best be described as illustrating the theme as “what goes around comes around”. Sykes was abusive and tried plotting his wife, Delia 's, death by using a rattlesnake, but his plan backfired and it was Sykes that was killed in the end.
For example, each time a new character is introduced, you are brought back into the memory of another character, to identify the new comers’ relationship to the story. In most text, a new character would be simply introduced with their importance to the here and now of a story, instead of the shared history amongst other characters. The history that is shared between characters in most books is the history that writes itself during the course of the book, as opposed to the memories formed so long ago, that it takes a great deal of time to bring them back to the surface.... ... middle of paper ... ...