Sweat
The story "Sweat’’ is considered by many as being the author’s best work when it comes to the way the family life of a black couple is portrayed. While the narrator does not mention the time when the action in the story takes place, it is implied the characters find themselves navigating the complicated world which came to be after the end of the civil war and, consequently, the abolishment of slavery.
The two main characters are Delia and her husband, Sykes. Delia is described as a hard-working woman, a washerwoman who does everything she can to earn an income and provide for herself and her husband. Meanwhile, Sykes does not work and does not contribute financially at all, letting himself be a kept-man and relying on Delia’s hard work.
The relationship between the two is far from being a loving one, Sykes beating Delia frequently and abusing her in various forms. He also takes advantage of Delia’s fear of snakes and terrifies her whenever he has the chance.
As time progresses, Sykes finds himself another woman, a person for whom he pays all the expenses despite not having an income of his own. Sykes comes up with a plan to be with the woman he loves which involves planning an ‘’accident’’ involving a poisonous snake hidden inside Delia’s laundry basket and waiting for her to be bitten by it. Delia finds out about her husband’s plan and does not get near the basket, letting Sykes be bitten instead and not coming to his aid in the last moments of his life.
The story has a feminist influence at its core, Delia representing the woman who is willing to do everything to escape her husband’s abuse. She is also a working woman, not afraid to do everything she can to make a living. The death of her husband is a relief for her, Delia being released from her abusing husband and free to choose her own path in life. This thus represents a break from the male dominated world many lived until then and a slow shift to an independent way of life.
The title is representative for this story because it makes reference to the hard manual labor done by Delia to financially support her husband. Another important element is the fact that the couple does not have any children, despite being married for a long time, this most likely hinting towards Sykes’ lack of masculinity and his inability to be a real man who provides for his family.
John Reddington Goes to Sea
The story is about a young boy named John who lived in a remote part of the country together with his parents. John was different from the rest of the people in his village in the sense he dreamt of becoming someone great when he grew up. These dreams are seen a unnatural by his mother who even tries to convince her husband to talk John to a witch and have whatever ‘’spell’’ he had on him, lifted.
The father’s reaction is surprising because he refuses to let anyone touch his son and force him into doing something he does not want. In this sense, the mother may be used to represent the more traditional part of the population which believed everyone should have a fixed space while the father leaned towards more modern ideas, allowing his son to dream and hope for a better future.
The reason why the father lets his son dream is revealed at the end of the story when the narrator resumes the story through the phrase ‘’ Hand in hand the two trudged across the plowed land and up to the house, the child dreaming of the days when he should wander to far countries, and the man of the days when he might have’’. The father never had the choice to dream and did not dare think of a time when he could be free to wander the lands. For the son however, this is something which can one day become reality because of the changing times and the change in the public perception when it came to the place and worth of black lives.
The Gilded Six-Bits
The story mentioned above is a heartwarming story concerning a married couple, Jon and Missie May. The story opens with a brief description of their house and also of their interactions, these descriptions making it clear just how much the two love one another.
The problem of money is introduced from the beginning, Joe being identified as being the breadwinner in the house. Joe develops the habit of throwing the money he earned towards his wife who then collects it and piles it next to her plate when she eats. This suggests that for the couple, money is extremely important. However, Missie May distinguishes herself as being the one who is most interested in money in the marriage.
The relationship slowly changes when a new character is introduced, a wealthy black man named Otis. Missie May is unimpressed by Otis and his wealth, assuring her husband of her love. The way through which she does it proves just how much they cared for one another. Still, despite Missie May’s refusal to accept his advantages, Otis continues to flirt with Missie May every time she and her husband are visiting his business.
Missie May’s words end up not being true when Joe returns home one night to find Missie May and Otis sleeping together. Despite his wife’s unfaithfulness, the two continue to live with one another and Joe even pretends nothing had happened. Missie May is plagued by her husband’s cold attitude and also by the gold coins he started carrying with him, coins left behind by Otis. The two grew more and more distant until one night when Joe and Missie May had sexual intercourse.
The next morning, Missie May wakes up to find the coins left behind by Otis near her. This scene is extremely important because it holds deep symbolic meaning. The coins were used to symbolize Missi May’s betrayal and the fact that Joe left the coins behind is a reminder to her how she once acted just like a prostitute, accepting money in exchange for sex. Upon looking closely at the money, Missie May realizes that the coins were not really made from gold, but rather were just gilded. The false money can also be used here in a symbolic way, a reference made to the true character of Otis and his tendency to lie and deceive everyone near him.
The story has a happy ending, Missie May getting pregnant soon after she and her husband started sleeping together. At first, Joe fears the child will not be his but the child is born, he becomes sure he is the father. The story ends with Joe taking the money left behind by Otis and using them to buy candy for his wife. This transmits the idea that Joe forgave Missie May for what she had done and thus felt no need to hold on to the reminder of her betrayal.
