“Sweat” by Zora Neal Hurston is a simple yet powerful story that aims to reveal the plight of women through Delia. Delia reveals herself to be an empowered woman who has built her own home, manages her family's finances, works hard, and rejoices in the results of her hard work. The fascinating fact about Delia, which I believe represents women in general, is that she was able to establish and maintain a home despite being married to an inconsiderate husband who only brought into the relationship a desire for the flesh instead of love (699). simply put, Delia's husband, Sykes, plans to kill her to pave the way for his second marriage to a plump woman named Bertha. He plans to achieve this by placing a rattlesnake in their home. The story develops with a succession of events in which the snake ends up killing Sykes, freeing Delia from her tribulations that have haunted her throughout her fifteen years of marriage. First, it is imperative to note that Delia was a rather diligent woman. He was the backbone and driving force of his family. In Hurston's "Sweat," Joe Lindsay says, "Hot or cold, rain or shine, jes ez regu'lar ez de week roll roun' Delia carries them and picks them up on Saturdays" (700). This testimony given by the men of the village is a true account of what a hardworking woman Delia was. She was thoughtful in her work, conscientious by nature. Hurston explains that she divided the clothes to be washed into small piles by color (698). We later learn from her discussion with Sykes that she was the one who paid for the house and even fed them, as evidenced when she said, "I've been doing their laundry for fifteen years." Sweat, sweat, sweat!. . . well tub of foam filled your belly...well sweat was paid for this I...... middle of paper ......specific poem from the Bible (Proverbs 31 of the Old Testament) and came to the conclusion that the poem talks about the strength of women and thinks that today's men and women should recognize and praise women for their physical, financial, moral, mental and spiritual strength. Works Cited De Franza, Megan K. “The Proverbs 31 “Woman of Strength”: An Argument for a Translation from the Primary Sense.” Priscilla Papers 25.1 (2011): 21-25. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Network. April 30, 2011Hurston, Zora N. "Sweat." Literature for composition. Ed Sylvan Barnet, William Burto and William E. Cain.9th ed. New York: Longman, 2010.698-705. Print.Hancock, Peter J. “Women, Work and Empowerment: A Portrait of Women Workers in Two Sri Lankan Export Processing Zones.” Norwegian Journal of Geography 60.3 (2006): 227-239. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Network. April 30. 2011