Sweat
by
Misogynoir and Manifestations of Gender Discrimination in Personal Relationships
In "Sweat", Hurston articulates the way oppresive gender dynamics operate within a racialized context. Between Delia and Sykes, the former is the sole breadwinner of the couple and her tireless labor is responsible for the home the two share. However, Sykes still maintains authority of the household though brute force and intimidation, using verbal, emotional, and physical abuse to relentlessly belitte his wife and her essential contributions whilst also making her terrified to leave. The people of the surrounding community are well aware of Sykes's abusive behavior, as well as his frequent infidelity, but do nothing to protect Delia themselves. At one point in the narrative, a group of men are depicted discussing the matter amongst themselves at Joe Clarke's storefront. They condemn Sykes abuse amongst themselves, yet never intervene, and exhibit a racialized misogyny in the way they insult Sykes's mistress, referring to her as "big black greasy Mogul". Clarke likens men’s abuse of their wives to chewing sugarcane—they suck up all their sweetness, become resentful that it is no longer there, and discard them as a result. In her characterization of Sykes and the bystanders in their community, Hurston suggests that abusive men are self-aware, and take out their own self-hatred onto their victims as an attempt to restore a sense of security in their sense of masculinity. The lack of support offered to Delia by her community also estranges her from them, articulating how misogynoiristic violences pushes Black women, already racially marginalized, towards the periphery of the Black community, with factors such as skin color and body type acting as compounding factors.
Christianity and True Faith
Christianity maintains a prominent role throughout "Sweat", not just through frequent references and symbolism, but in the way that the story itself is structured. In fact, Hurston's narrative can itself be read as a contemporary subversion of the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden, with Delia and Sykes serving as parallels to Adam and Eve, and their home an Eden of sorts. Delia, who has endured ongoing suffering as a result of years of thankless labor and abuse at the hands of her husband, finds solace in her faith. There are multiple instances throughout the narrative that draw direct parallels between Delia's suffering and Biblical stories of strife, and Delia clings to Biblical references to deliverance and salvation as a means of coping with her suffering. She attends church regularly, and finds comfort and catharsis in the hymns she frequently sings to herself. In contrast to the earnest, sincere manner in which Delia connects to her religion, Sykes weaponizes its tenets as an extension of his abuse tactics, frequently making bad faith accusations that Delia is a hypocrite in an attempt to shame her for her steadfast commitment to Christianity and exercise control over her. He mocks her for working on the Sabbath, yet does nothing to contribute to the household financially, and is wholly unrepentant for the several sins he commits through philandering ways. Sykes bringing home a snake to terrorize Delia parallels Lucifer taking the form of a snake to appear to Eve in the Garden, which ultimately results in the original sin that gets her and Adam ejected from Eden. Sykes's demise at the end of the story is reminiscent of Biblical ideas of justice, wherein the very snake that Sykes used in an attempt to drive Delia out of the Eden she built ends up fatally biting him. Sykes's reckoning comes as a result of his own pride and faithlessness, whereas Delia is rewarded for her faith and endurance with freedom from her abuser.
Labor, Suffering, and Resilience
One of the narrative's most significant themes, hard work and resilience through suffering, is implied through the story's title itself—"Sweat". Delia is a middle-aged domestic laborer forced to work tirelessly on a daily basis to support herself, alongside her husband, who is of no help. Not only does her husband refuse to assist her, he actively shames her for the work she does, and uses the money she provides to be unfaithful. In one of Delia's few moments of overt defiance against her husband, she tells him "Ah been married to you fur fifteen years, and Ah been takin' in washin' fur fifteen years. Sweat, sweat, sweat! Work and sweat, cry and sweat, pray and sweat". The quote not only emphasizes how seemingly endless all the work is, but also how she has grown resilient, able to meet her obligations time and time again, in contrast to her husband's lazy entitlement. Delia's commitment to doing the work is tied to a sense of moral fortitude and integrity that her husband lacks. Connecting to the theme of Christianity, Delia's resilience in the face of ongoing, Christ-like suffering is portrayed as a virtue that is ultimately rewarded through deliverance form her husband's torment.
Author: Destinee Thom, MA, MSLIS, 2025
