Spousal Abuse
“You sho’ is one aggravatin’ nigger woman!”; this is only one example of the abuse in Zora Neale Hurston’s short story, “Sweat”. Spousal abuse is a very common issue in today’s society. Hurston represents this form of abuse through the way the husband talks to his wife and the way he treats her.
Delia is a hard-working woman who is very obedient and faithful to her husband, Sykes. Through harsh words, he cuts her down about her work of washing white folks clothes and her looks saying that he “hates skinny woman”. Delia’s appearance resembles her hard work, with “knuckly hands” from using the washboard. Delia has put many hard- earned tears, blood, and sweat into her house while supporting Sykes’ habits and taking all the abuse he could dish out. On many occasions Sykes has cut down Delia and her kind nature, even to her religious beliefs, accusing her of being a......
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Approximate Word Count: 517
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |