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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page paper which examines the symbolic significance of the snake in Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JR7_RAhrsw.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
his wife, abuses and uses her, while she works hard to create a home. The story involves the mans desire to get rid of his wife, and thus gain possession
of the home, or so it seems. He brings in a snake to frighten her, and perhaps kill her, but his plans reverse themselves upon him. The following paper examines
possible symbolic aspects of this snake. The Snake in Zora Neale Hurstons "Sweat" One of the most obvious symbolic aspects of the snake involves good and evil, God and
the Devil. The serpent or the snake has long been associated with evil and the Devil and the woman in Hurstons story, Delia, is a religious woman, representative of her
times and culture. She states, at one point in the story when she has suffered at the words and struggles with her husband,"Oh well, whatever goes over the Devils back,
is got to come under his belly. Sometime or ruther, Sykes, like everybody else, is gointer reap his sowing" (Hurston). After saying this she was then able to create for
herself a "spiritual earthworks" against him and she ended these thoughts with an "Amen" (Hurston). In this we see powerful religious elements and so when the snake arrives and frightens
her we see this as representative of the Devil, but the Devil will, as Delia suggested, is going to make sure Sykes got what was coming to him for the
snake kills Sykes and not Delia. And, as one critic notes, "The symbolism of snakes...subtly and cleverly illustrates Sykes as being an evil antagonist character" (123HelpMe.com).
The theme of the oppressive power of man could also be read into the symbolic nature of the snake. The snake is representative of the oppressive
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