By the Sweat of Her Brow: Metaphor and Theme in Zora Neal Hurston's Sweat
This 4-page graduate paper examines how theme is developed in Zora Neal Hurston's short story, “Sweat” by metaphors. The development of the paper includes references to Delia's occupation, Snakes, the bullwhip Sykes uses to threaten Delia, attempted murder, Delia's consent to Sykes’ of death, and the departure of the snake. This essay concludes that Hurston’s story draws heavily on metaphor in order to parallel the violence and tensions between men and women with the violence contained in Biblical texts. Much of Hurston’s text suggests Genesis in particular, drawing on the story of Adam and Eve to suggest the levels of violence and tension implicit between Delia and her husband. Drawing on imagery of snakes, murder, sweat, labour, and conflict, Hurston depicts violence - committed by both men and women against one another - as primordial, stemming from the onset of time. Rather than linking the violence to political tensions or cultural practices, Hurston suggests that violence and aggression between men and women stems from humanity’s earliest forebears.
