Essay using feminist criticism literary approach on text Essay

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Essay Using Feminist Criticism Literary Approach on Text
Zora Neale Hurston's short story "Sweat" tells us the story of a resilient African American woman facing economic, social, and psychological oppression. Through the use of symbolism, we see the characters develop throughout the storyline and give us a glimpse of the world they are a part of and how each faces their reality. Along with different symbols that arise and are intertwined with the storyline, we are led through suspense and harsh reality. Through their relationship, we continue to see how they each uphold patriarchal standards and limit their extent. Lastly, their culture and background hold different impacts on their personas and give way to an outside perspective through their community and their thoughts and actions. The story's setting and the author's perspective sway it to become an example of victory for a woman and scream for help in fighting for equality. Overall, through the literary approach of feminist criticism, we see a very strong woman's fight to become free again, physically and psychologically bringing an end to her limits and a triumph to feminism.
The story aims to be viewed as the work of a feminist fiction where the woman endures pain rather than view it from the perspective of a passive woman being abused by the husband. Delia, the protagonist, is presented as a character in an abusive marriage, thus indicating the use of feminism criticism in the narration. Based on the traditional view of a marriage, a man is expected to be the family's head. Therefore, his role is to protect and love each of the family members. Such is not the case in Delia's marriage. Sykes, her husband, is abusive and often beats her. Sykes mistreats Delia and leaves her to do all the work and provide for the family (Hurston). Such kind of mistreatment has resulted in Delia losing hope in her marriage. It is such a psychological change that pushes her into fighting for freedom. Delia is faced with the dilemma of getting a divorce or staying in an abusive marriage. Getting a divorce does not seem like a promising option to her since women in her religion are not permitted to ask for a divorce (Setiawan et al). Therefore, from a feminist point of view, Delia is a strong woman who has been able to feed her family and put up with an abusive husband for fifteen years.
During the early twentieth century, the female gender was underprivileged in terms of their gender and race. Considering that Delia was a black woman, she stood more chances of being exposed to hard labor. During that period, it was challenging for a woman to get a good job. Such are the kind of problems that Delia faces in the arms of a man who could be taking the initiative to provide for the family. Hurston uses feminism to create the character of an unhappy woman who has taken up the male gender roles of being the family's provider. Years. It is the man's role to provide for their family, but Delia has taken up the difficult task fo...