"Sweat," like many of Hurston's stories, focuses on a very specific sector of society—Southern, working class African Americans. Another distinction to this micro-society is the fact that we never see white people—we barely even hear about them. We know that Delia does their laundry, but she never talks with them or about them. That being said, we think it's pretty daring of Hurston to have purposefully left out a specific part of society (the white majority) to focus on the minority.
Questions About Society & Class
- Judging by the characters presented, are the most of the towns folk lower class? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Hurston focuses on Delia, a working woman?
- How are whites viewed in the context of the story?
- How are African American men viewed in "Sweat"? More specifically, how is Sykes seen by his peers?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Delia is an ideal African American woman while Sykes is nowhere near an ideal African American man.
"Sweat" plays with and uses stereotypes of African Americans to add depth to the culture.