How is Sykes characterized in this section of the story?
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Why does Delia stay with Sykes?
Hover for more information. Delia probably stays with Sykes after he has been so abusive to her because within that time period women did not typically divorce their husbands. She also has a personality that suggests that she upholds commitments and will bear through difficult times.
What does Delia Jones do for a living?
The central character, Delia Jones is a hardworking but timid woman living in Florida. She provides for herself and her husband Sykes by working as a washwoman for white people.
What is the significance of Delia being a Washwoman?
In her short story “Sweat,” Zora Neale Hurston decided to make Delia a washerwoman to illustrate just how miserable and harsh her life is and has been. Her job is a metaphor for the abuse that she receives from her ruthless and unfaithful husband, Sykes.
What is the symbolism of the clothes Delia is gathering to wash?
Laundry. Delia’s laundry is a symbol that represents goodness. Her washing makes the white people’s clothes spotless.
Do you think Delia is a meek or strong character?
It seems that Delia, a “habitually meek” character, as is stated in the story, has endured years of domestic abuse from her husband, Sykes. She works tirelessly to take care of the family, with little, if any, input from him, and instead of being appreciative of her efforts, he beats and bullies her without end.
What animal is Delia deathly afraid of?
Snakes. The snake, long a symbol of evil and malevolence, is used throughout the story. Delia is deathly afraid of snakes, a fact that Sykes uses to his advantage.
How does Sykes exert control over Delia?
Sykes dangles power in front of Delia by giving her the option of getting what she wants, but then takes the power away quickly by choosing for her. Sykes pushes further by getting a snake and attempting to scare Delia into submission, her fear controlling her rather than Sykes.
What happens to Sykes and Delia by the end of sweat?
Sykes bring a snake into the house, hoping to scare Delia out. She finds it in the laundry basket and runs away in fright. That night, Sykes gets bitten by the snake. He dies, and Delia is free.
What does Delia call the snake?
Sykes said it to Bertha. Joe said it to Delia. 30 seconds. What does Delia call the snake? Ol’ Satan.
What weapon does Delia use to threaten Sykes?
Though not evident at first sight in “Sweat,” the metaphor is present in this short story as Sykes, the male protagonist, uses a bullwhip on Delia in order to scare her and make her succumb to his will.
What else might the whip symbolize for African American?
The whip also represents the lifeless version of the snake, an animal intensely religious by itself and one which embodies Delia’s religious and physical fears. Hurston conveys these emotions for her character when Delia cries at the touch of the whip: “you knows how skeered Ah is of snakes” (Hurston 238).
Where does sweat take place?
Florida
How do Delia and Sykes feelings differ about snakes?
Like the snakes, Sykes spews venom at Delia but more so in the form of physical and psychological domestic abuse. Delia’s frightened nature dealing with the snakes really showed her true feelings towards Sykes because the snakes ultimately represent what he brings to their partnership.
What is the irony in sweat?
The main irony in the story is that all of Sykes’ schemes against Delia result in unexpected, negative consequences for him. Sykes brings the snake into the house because he knows that Delia is mortally afraid of reptiles. To Sykes, the snake is a weapon. His main goal is to get Delia to leave.
What happens at the end of the Gilded Six Bits?
They end up sleeping together again, and Missie May is overjoyed, until she discovers that Joe has slipped Slemmons’ gold piece under her pillow. She realizes the gold piece is merely a gilded half dollar. She returns the coin to Joe’s pocket.
Why did Missie may cheat on Joe?
She is tempted into cheating on her husband by the promise of a gold coin. When caught, she fears that her husband will not love her anymore, but she waits for his anger to pass. Missie May is determined to wait as long as there is a chance that Joe will return to her because she still loves him.
What is the overall message in the Gilded Six Bits?
“The Gilded Six-Bits” is a story full of love, betrayal, and forgiveness. It portrays the life of two happy newlyweds who both test their relationship and their love for one another when a charismatic outsider comes into their community and into their home.
Why does Joe put the gilded coin under Missie May’s pillow?
Joe later discovers that it is merely a gilded coin. One night, he puts it under Missie May’s pillow. To pull off his deception, he wears gilded baubles that women like Missie May take for solid-gold accessories. When he promises to reward her with riches if she will yield herself to him, she accepts his proposal.
Who is the hero in Hurston’s tale?
The hero of the story, John Buddy Pearson, is a big, powerful man, “a living exultation,” who is born “over de Big Creek,” on the wrong side of town. He falls in love with a rich girl, Lucy Potts, who calls him a “big yaller bee-stung” man.
What does Joe think of slemmons when he first meets him?
When Joe first describes Slemmons to Missie May, he is envious of the man’s appearance of wealth. He compares himself to Otis D. Slemmons and finds himself lacking in wealth, in worldliness, in everything except his wife, whom Joe thinks is better than any of the women Slemmons brags about.
Who is the protagonist in The Gilded Six Bits?
Joe
What kind of relationship did Joe and Missie may have?
Missie May and Joe share a real and true happiness together, symbolized by the cheerfulness of their simple home.
What is Joe’s Saturday night ritual when he comes home?
She realizes it’s getting late and that her husband, Joe will be home soon: “Joe gointer be heah ‘fore Ah git mah clothes on if Ah don’t make haste.” (6) Before she can get her slippers on Joe comes home and they play fight, a ritual that takes place every Saturday.
What is the setting of the Gilded Six Bits?
“The Gilded Six-Bits” is a short story written by Zora Neale Hurston and published in 1933. It follows amarried couple-Joe and Missie May-living in central Florida. The couple is happy until a charismatic, wealthy-seeming man opens an ice-cream shop in town.
What is a six bit?
dated 75 cents (0.75 US dollars). A “bit” was a former unit of currency equal to one-eighth of a dollar, used until the US adopted decimal currency in 1794. The term survived into the 20th century, especially in reference to 25 cents (“two bits”).