Symbolism In Zora Neal Hurston's Sweat

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Symbolism in Zora Neal Hurston 's ``Sweat : Zora Neale Hurston 's ``Sweat (1926 ) is based on two primary influences in her life : the town of Eatonville where Hurston grew up and her relationship with her employer , Fannie Hurst . The short story "Sweat " revolves around the life of Delia Jones , a washerwoman from Eatonville , Florida . The story begins with Delia Jones gathering courage to counter her abusive husband and ends with the death of her husband , tracing the transformation that Delia undergoes as a result . Delia Jones is a common black , hardworking Southern woman with deep religious faith . It is through her faith in God that she finds it possible to overcome her domestic problems caused by her abusive husband . Hurston sets the story…show more content…
He takes the hard-earned money of Delia to spend on his fat girlfriend Betha . Ultimately the spiritual strength of Delia wins over Sykes Jones . This story can be viewed as an allegory for God and Satan in conflict . According to Thomas Stafford , who wrote `Christian Symbolism in the Evangelical Church : ``A serpent is the symbol of the fall of man through temptation by a serpent-the devil (180 . There is more evidence to support the good versus evil or God versus Satan motif in ``Sweat . Many words are indicative of religion and morality in the story `Sweat . The very name Delia seems to be derived from the Biblical Delilah who emasculated her Samson by having his locks cut off . In this story Delia is shown to be the stronger of the two though physically weaker - and she supports her husband Sykes by doing white people laundry . The ``whitest pile of things ' referring to the white clothes Delia washes in the story are symbolic of her character . White represents purity . Delia is a woman who respectfully tolerates the abuses of her husband . Seidel says that the whiteness suggest Delia 's "innate goodness as opposed to the evil darkness of Sykes 's snake

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