"Sweat" Zora Neale Hurston

Sweat

Zora Neale Hurston

"Ah wantah cross Jurden in uh calm time," she was singing again. The mood of the "love feast" had returned. She threw back the lid of the basket almost gaily. Then, moved by both horror and terror, she sprang back toward the door. There lay the snake in the basket! He moved sluggishly at first, but even as she turned round and round, jumped up and down in an insanity of fear, he began to stir vigorously. She saw him pouring his awful beauty from the basket upon the bed, then she seized the lamp and ran as fast as she could to the kitchen. The wind from the open door blew out the light and the darkness added to her terror. She sped to the darkness of the yard, slamming the door after her before she thought to set down the lamp. She did not feel safe even on the ground, so she climbed up in the hay barn.

There for an hour or more she lay sprawled upon the hay a gibbering wreck.

Finally, she grew quiet, and after that, coherent thought. With this, stalked through her a cold, bloody rage. Hours of this. A period of introspection, a space of retrospection, then a mixture of both. Out of this an awful calm.

What is the narrator’s voice in this passage? 

This passage is thought provoking because of the narrator’s voice. The voice of a narrator is connected to his or her personality. In this case, the voice of the narrator is essential to the understanding of the story. In this passage, it is apparent that the narrator is intelligent. The narrator speaks with a stronger vocabulary and a better understanding of grammar. This indicates that the narrator is well- educated. I would argue that the narrator is a woman. I say this hesitantly because although the voice sounds more feminine and sympathetic, the story has dominant male figures that also sympathize with Delia. When the narrator indicates that Delia did not feel safe on the ground, she speaks with a certain understanding of this fear. In order to empathize on such a deep level, the narrator must have had similar experiences in her past that allow her to connect to Delia. The narrator’s voice is personable and strong. Without specifically stating how she feels, the reader understands her views of the situation.

Why didn’t Delia tell this part of the story?

The narrator’s tone is required to tell this part of the story because the author wants the reader to have a clear and complete understanding of the emotions Delia was experiencing. Hurston knew that the audience would better understand this passage if the narrator spoke because she has a more coherent vocabulary. In order to properly express this terror, the author needed to use words outside of Delia’s realm of vocabulary. Despite the fact that the narrator is a third party observer, she has a true emotional connection with Delia. This connection allows her to accurately portray the events. The narrator is also a reliable source of information. She gives no reason to doubt the accuracy of the details. Most of the time, it is easy to omit the role of the narrator as a character because the role is either minor or insignificant. However, this narrator’s tone requires a thorough analysis because the message is important.