"She lay awake, gazing upon the debris that cluttered their matrimonial trail. Not an image left standing along the way. Anything like flowers had long ago been drowned in the salty stream that had been pressed from her heart. Her tears, her sweat, her blood. She had brought love to the union and he had brought a longing after the flesh. Two months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating. She had the memory of his numerous trips to Orlando with all of his wages when he had returned to her penniless, even before the first year had passed. She was young and soft then, but now she thought of her knotty, muscles limbs, her harsh knuckly han

The snake, being seen as Satan and as having the same qualities as the opposite, can also be seen as a major phallic symbol. The snake enters Delia's clothing basket (her place of work) as well as her bed. Also, as previously mentioned, it is seen as "long, round, limp, and black" (Hurston 678). When it enters her bed, it is in essence penetrating her existence and well-being. Having come from Bertha's home and having sexual relations with her as well, Sykes' power was left at her house. This is represented when he reaches for a match to be able to see in the dark, but is unable to find one because "he had emptied his pockets at Bertha's" (Hurston 686). With no sexual thought towards Delia, he does not think the snake (being a phallic symbol) will be found in her bed, but as he soon finds out, the contrary is an ironic fact. It is from his wife's bed that the snake attacks Sykes.

Sykes's physical cruelty and unfaithfulness go together, and are apparent not only to the one's involved, but outsiders as well. A group of village men sitting on a porch view Delia riding by and begin talking about her and her marital situation. One man talks of Delia's hard work ethics and ability to carry and receive clothing every Saturday. Her hard work is evident and because of it others admire her. After talking about the good qualities of Delia, the men begin a conversation about the countless bad qualities of Sykes. Speaking of Delia's necessary work, one man says, "She better if she wanter eat...Syke Jones ain't wuth de shot an' powder hit would tek tuh kill 'em. Not to huh he ain't" (Hurston 681). The speaker's tone can be taken as suggesting that Sykes deserves to die. Later in the conversation, the old man of the group says, "he done got too beggety to live - an' we oughter kill 'im" (Hurston 682). Coming from an elder, the statement seems to have more cred!

ibility. The mentioning of killing Sykes foreshadows the conclusion of the book when his death is imminent. The men would believe Sykes would be getting what he deserves, as perhaps Delia tends to believe more and more as the story progresses.

ds, and drew herself up into an unhappy little ball in the middle of the big feather bed. Too late now to hope for love, even if it were not Bertha it would be someone else. This case differed from the others only in that she was bolder than the others. Too late for everything except her little home. She had built!

Although Sykes' physical and emotional cruelty towards Delia brought her down further each day, his infidelity brought her through the floor. Even though their relationship had become non-existent, Delia still had to live each day knowing that her husband was with another woman. Going along with other religious imagery is another case found in the reading: "Delia's work-worn knees crawled over the earth in Gethsemane and up the rocks of Calvary many, many times during these months." (Hurston 683). Referring to the betrayal, trial, and the execution of Jesus in the bible, this passage is another example of how religion plays a major role in many aspects of Sweat.

As she lies on her bed, Delia gains a mo

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2134
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)