Blood, Sweat, Tears: MediaOuttake#3

Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” is about an African American couple that had been married for about fifteen years. During that time, however, the husband had complete dominance over the wife and she still submitted to him. A few times in the story she would stand up for herself or try to fight back. Delia’s only outlet that kept her whole was her relationship with God and the church. The husband, on the other hand, used his time to entertain other women and spend Delia’s money. The media that I feel relates to this short story is another work of Hurston’s called “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. In this book, the protagonist, Janie, is married to a man for nearly twenty years. Within that time she was not allowed to socialize with the locals, she had to tie up her long hair, and had to submit to her husband’s every call. Although she was unhappy, just like Delia, she did not leave. Janie’s outlet was also her spiritual connection with God and nature. At the end of “Sweat” the wife is placed in a situation where she is the only person to help her dying husband. Similarly, when Janie’s husband becomes terminally ill she is the only one taking regular care of him. The biggest connection between these two is that both women are liberated through their husband’s death. Since these stories have similar plots I believe that Hurston was trying to emphasize the severity of women in abusive relationships. Here is the trailer to "Their Eyes Were Watching God"