The short story “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston is the story of a woman who gradually gains strength to stand up to her abusive husband. The passage that shows one of the first times she stood up to him is: “Delia's usual gentleness seemed to slip from her shoulders like a blown scarf. She was standing; poor little body, its bare and agile hands courageously defying the solid carcass before it” (Hurston 560). Everyone in town considers her a weak woman, beaten by her husband for too long. Delia goes through a major change where she finds herself stronger than before, which leads her to stand up to Sykes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay “Delia's usual gentleness…” (Hurston 560) shows that Delia found a safe place in being weak. She found herself in a loveless marriage full of violence. She knew her husband was cheating on her, but she never told him anything. Delia never stood up to him whenever he beat her or belittled her. She found a way to ignore him and go about her daily life. Delia realized that her safe place was preventing her from realizing her true potential. Shedding this part of her personality allowed her to become a stronger woman. The metaphor where she finally comes out of her shell is "Delia's usual gentleness seemed to slip from her shoulders like a blown scarf" (Hurston 560). Once Delia finally gives up her habit of letting Sykes do whatever he wants, she stands up to him at several points in the story. For example, when she grabbed a frying pan and took a defensive pose or when she told Sykes to get the snake out of his house. Even though she becomes stronger, Delia is still portrayed as weak by Sykes. The passage uses “poor little baby” and “bare hands” to show that even though Delia stands up to Sykes, she is still weak compared to him. The contrast between Sykes's strength and Delia's becomes even more apparent when we describe Sykes as a "huge strongman" (Hurston 560). This shows how much Delia has grown. Delia is aware that she is even weaker than him, which only gives him more power. Being able to stand up to someone bigger than her is a great feat, especially after years of abuse. Delia's strength is emphasized by the description of her actions, "bravely defying the strong man before her" (Huston 560). She had the courage to stand up to her husband after years of abuse. She knew their marriage would eventually fall apart because she knew exactly what Sykes was like. She was aware that he would never change once she was certain of his affair. Delia knew Sykes would end up being unfaithful. Along the way, she discovered how strong she could be. She worked every day of the week to earn her own money and she even paid for everything herself. In his time this was unusual as the man normally took on the role of providing a stable income. Delia's work only fueled her growth and allowed her to stand up to her husband. Delia, through years of hard work, has gained the strength and confidence to take herself to the next level. Sykes is threatened by his growth, which becomes evident when he leaves the house or is shocked every time Delia responds to him. He even goes so far as to get her back by introducing a deadly snake into their home. Delia survives her husband's retaliation, but Sykes does not. Delia standing up to Sykes was the catalyst for his growing strength and Sykes' death. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get now.