She could scarcely reach the Chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heat while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew. (108)
Whew, this ending has a lot going on; so much so, we just couldn't help ourselves and had to make a list—it'll make it all easier to break down:
- Powerful images: Imagine waiting under a Chinaberry tree—a pretty peaceful act—while your husband is dying inside your house. Hurston never tells us whether this is right or wrong, but the idea (and image) of resting under a shady tree makes us feel like Delia will finally have some relief.
- Sensory details: Up until now, the entirety of "Sweat" has been focused on heat. So why say that a "cold river was creeping up and up"? Maybe because after death our corpses turn cold. First, we feel relief at the image of Delia resting under the shady tree, but now we feel chilly and creeped out. See what we mean about not knowing whether what Delia did was right or wrong?