Drama; Family Drama
Most of the drama in this story arises from the dirty and disastrous marriage between Delia and Sykes Jones. Conflict and emotion often come out through their heated and super colorful arguments. Take this doozy when Sykes tells Delia:
You looks jes' lak de devvul's doll -baby tuh me. (81)
To which Delia responds:
Yo' ole black hide don't look lak nothin' tuh me, but uh passle uh wrinkled up rubber, wid yo' big ole yeahs flappin' on each side lak uh paih uh buzzard wings. (82)
Of course, drama also comes from actions and events in "Sweat," like when Delia notices the soap box Sykes brings home and which holds her worst nightmare: a rattlesnake. The shortness of this story makes every event, minor or major, feel like a blow in the gut—in the best of ways, of course.