Thursday, October 7, 2010

Religion: An Oppressor or Liberator? A Marxist analytical approach to the short story, “Sweat”

     The short story “Sweat” was written and set during post-slavery 1920s.  Historically, the 1920s were a turbulent and troublesome time for African Americans living in the United States.  Although blacks were no longer slaves, they still had oppressive holds upon them, especially social and economic oppression.  The socioeconomic status of blacks was anything but ideal: lower class, poor, uneducated, segregated, marginalized, disenfranchised, and mistreated.  The average black person made a living by working for an affluent white family and receiving very little pay.  In most cases, the money received was barely enough to purchase food.  Because of this harsh reality, many blacks turned to religion to cope with their gruesome and oftentimes, unbearable existence.  The main character, Delia, uses religion to cope with her harsh socioeconomic conditions as well as her unhealthy, abusive, and tumultuous marriage to her husband Sykes. 
           
     Although Marxist theory normally bashes organized religion by calling it the “opiate of the masses”, in this story, religion is seen as both the oppressor and the liberator.  Christianity was used during colonization as justification by white Europeans to enslave, control and abuse African slaves, poor whites, and Native Americans as well as other minorities.  White owners converted many of their slaves to Christianity in order to assimilate them to the normal European social and religious order.  Many slaves began to abandon their own cultural traditions and take on the European Christianity in order to deal with being abused and overworked by their white owners, their oppressor.  Similarly, Delia uses religion to deal with her oppressors, the white family that employs her yet pays her very little, and more importantly, her negligent and destructive husband Sykes, who is her ultimate oppressor.  This fact is evident in the following text:
     “Oh well, whatever goes over the Devil’s back, is got to come under his belly.  Sometime or ruther, Sykes, like everybody else, is gointer reap his sowing.”  After that she was able to build a spiritual earthworks against her husband.  His shells could no longer hurt her. Amen.” (76)

Because of her faith, she felt at peace with the fact that Sykes mistreatment of her would not go unpunished so she decided to allow his inconsiderate words and actions to continue because she was no longer going to be bothered by it. She had “a triumphant indifference to all that he was or did.” (76) 

Delia used her religion as a coping mechanism in many instances, including when Sykes ridiculed her for sorting the white family’s laundry on the Sabbath.  She did not want to bicker with him because she “just come from taking sacrament at the church house.” (74)  In this instance, Delia used the sacrament to justify her nonchalance versus Sykes incessant derision.  Another instance was when she hitched her horse and drove to Woodbridge, the church she transferred her membership to so she did not have to take sacrament with Sykes anymore.  Prior to that, she had an argument with Sykes, which would be her last.  She expressed her hatred for him and threatened to tell the “white folks” next time he abused her.  With her emotions in a whirlwind, she calmly sang a church hymn to ease her mind and free her from any hurt or pain:

Jurden water, black an’ col’, chills de body, not de soul, An’ Ah wantah cross Jurden in uh calm time. (82)

After singing that song, she felt relieved once again and also comforted that even though her marriage was dissolving before her very eyes, that God would give her peace. 

            The ultimate liberation came when she confronted the snake.  In most religions, especially Christianity, the snake has many symbolic meanings.  The most obvious symbolism would be that of danger or evil.  This is especially so for Delia because she is terrified of snakes.  It is the one thing in the world that scares her deeply.  She confessed her fear of the snake many times to Sykes asking him to either kill it or get rid of it because it was making her physically ill. “But you done kilt all mah insides bringin’ dat varmint heah.” (81)  However, it is when she comes home from the church in Woodbridge that she reaches her highest level of liberation.  When she realized the snake was not only still in her home, but in her bedroom, her most prized sanctuary, she has a real breakthrough.  The first thing she does is scream in terror then she leaves the room and takes refuge in a hay barn.  While she is there, she has an epiphany of sorts.  She realized while lying in the hay barn that she must confront her fear, the snake, which for her meant confronting her fear of Sykes and his oppressive power over her while simultaneously embracing the power she had within all along. 
      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.  (83)

The snake was no longer her biggest fear, but her source of empowerment.  The snake no longer represented fear or evil, but eye opening knowledge.  Just  like the serpent in the garden of Eden, the snake revealed to Delia her nakedness, or vulnerability.  He made her aware of her oppression.  

After her epiphany, she fell asleep, and was no longer affected by the fear that used to cripple her.  Since she was no longer afraid of the snake, she was able to draw from it an inner strength.   When Sykes is bitten by the snake, she takes on the characteristics of the snake: selfish indifference.  She does not save Sykes because she knew that one day he would reap what he sowed and today was the fateful day.  Just like a snake poisons his victim then watches it die before it is devoured, so does Delia sting Sykes with her stare, almost mocking him:
.               “She waited in the growing heat while inside she knew the cold river was creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew.”  (85)

Conclusively, the use of religion by a person can be oppressive at times and liberating at times.  During difficult times, religion can be used to numb someone from their punishing circumstances like a tranquilizer.  In other instances, religion is essential to help the socioeconomically oppressed survive their state of being by believing in Heaven, or a place where justice and peace flow like a river. There were many Marxist theoretical concepts evidenced in “Sweat” that were not covered in this essay.  However, through further literary interpretation utilizing a Marxist analytical lens, “Sweat” can be appreciated for what it is: a mirror image of the proletariat rising up against the domineering elite and taking charge of its own destiny; an ideal condition achieved in rare situations in reality but attainable in any and all circumstances in a flawless utopia guided by Marxist principles.


Works Cited:
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat” Harper Perennial.