Analysis of the Symbols in Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was a writer of novels, short stories and plays that depicted African Americans living in the South. The short story “Sweat '' is about a woman who is abused and mistreated by her husband. This is a female empowerment story that shows how women overcome the abuse of her husband. Hurston often used symbols in her stories that help enhance her them. Hurston uses symbols such as the rattlesnake, the Chinaberry Tree, and the use of laundry to further tell the story of this not-so typical fairytale.

At the beginning of the story Hurston establishes the dynamic between Sykes and Delia and also her dislike for snakes. Sykes began to use this to his advantage. After Sykes scares Delia with his whip his justifies it by saying “'If you such a big fool dat you got to have a fit over a earth worm or a string, Ah don't keer how bad Ah skeer you” (Hurston pars 6), he does to show Delia his dominance over her.

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Snakes are often used as a symbol of evil and malevolence. In the biblical story of Adam and Eve the serpent was depicted as the source of mischief and deception that wreaked havoc for humanity. The Serpent is also associated with temptation and in “Sweat '' Syke was the one tempted by the snake to use it to get Deia out her own house. Delia’s fear of snakes can be symbolic and interpreted that she is God fearing and virtuous, and when Sykes brings the snake into the home bringing evil into the household but eventually dying at the hands of the snake.

With this Hurston created a warning that one day evil will come back around to bite you. At the end of the story both Sykes and Delia gained knowledge from the snake when Hurston said “where she waited in the growing heat while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew.”(Hurston pars 104). This was like Adam and Eve gaining knowledge but also being expelled from paradise but into a world of death. Therefore, the snake not only symbolizes Sykes cruelty put also temptation and how the life of paradise can be taken from you so quickly.

Then, Hurston uses the laundry that Delia was doing at the beginning of the story represents the clean and the dirty the good and the bad. The fact that Delia washes clothes for white people shows how African American women were used for labor in the south if they were slaves or freed(Woodson pg. 270). The way that Sykes tramples over Delia’s laundry shows his resentment for her job. This shows that he disregards her life altogetherGod-fearing. When Delia tries to keep everything clean and neat, Sykes destroys and dirty it. When Delia separates the clothes into a white pile this represents her pureness and innocence. This is something that Delia protects and cares for.

Another symbol in the story is the Chinaberry tree. It is an invasive species from Asia that thrives in open areas with poisonous fruit (Seller and Ferrelle pars. Houston often uses flowers and fruit in her stories to symbolize fertility and womanhood. In the story Delia sits under the tree while Skyes moans in pain and dies after he is bitten by the rattlesnake. This represents her freedom and the peacefulness from Sykes and her new found life. The poisonous fruit on the tree represents the toxicity that Sykes was bringing into her life.

A symbol that is often repeated in the story was Delia’s sweat. The metaphor blood, sweat and tears is often used to show someone's hard work. Hurston also uses “sweat” this to repent how Delia is devoted to her work and providing for her family and herself and she takes pride in this(Hurston pars 26). Members of the community also noticed how hard Delia worked and how Skyes takes advantage of her.

Zora Neale Hurston wrote stories that are timeless and could relate to people decades after they were written. She used symbolism to help create meaning and emotion in her stories. In “Sweat” she referred to The Chinaberry Tree, the snake, and sweat to help the reader further understand the what Delia, the main character, was going through.

Works cited

1. Hurston, Z. N. (1926). Sweat. In The New Negro (pp. 227-236). Albert and Charles Boni.
2. Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2006). Zora Neale Hurston's Sweat. Infobase Publishing.
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