The short story "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston is the story of a woman who gradually gains the strength to resist her abusive husband. The passage that shows one of the first times she stood up to him is: “Delia's habitual meekness seemed to slip off her shoulders like a puffy scarf. He was standing; poor little body, with her bare knuckled hands bravely defying the sturdy carcass before her” (Hurston 560). Everyone in the city considers her a weak woman, beaten by her husband for too long. Delia goes through a big 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "Delia's Habitual Mildness..." (Hurston 560) shows that Delia has found a safe place in being weak. She found herself in a loveless and abusive marriage. She knew her husband was cheating on her, yet she never told him anything. Delia never stood up to him whenever he hit or belittled her. He found a way to ignore it and go about his daily routine. Delia realized that her safe place was holding her back from her true potential. Losing this part of her personality allowed her to become a stronger woman. The metaphor in which she finally comes out of her shell is “Delia's habitual blandness seemed to slip from her shoulders like a puffy scarf” (Hurston 560). Once Delia finally breaks her habit of letting Sykes have his way, she stands up to him at several points in the story. For example, when he grabbed a frying pan and struck a defensive pose or when he told Sykes to take the snake out of his house. Even though she gets stronger, Delia is still described as weak to Sykes. The passage uses “poor child” and “bare hands and knuckles” to show that even though Delia stands up to Sykes she is still weak compared to him. The contrast between Sykes' strength and Delia's becomes even more evident by describing Sykes as a “huge wreck” (Hurston 560). This shows how much Delia has grown further. Delia is aware that she is even weaker than him, which gives her further power. Being able to stand up to someone older than her is a great feat, especially after years of abuse. Delia's strength is emphasized by the description of her actions, "bravely challenging the sturdy carcass before her" (Huston 560). She was brave enough to stand up to her husband after years of abuse. She knew their marriage would eventually fall apart because she knew exactly how Sykes was doing. She was aware that he would never change once she was certain of his relationship. Delia knew that Sykes would eventually be unfaithful to her. Along the way, he discovered how strong he could be. She worked every day of the week to earn money and also paid for everything herself. In his day, this was unusual because normally the man took on the role of providing a stable income. Delia's work has done nothing but fuel her growth to be able to stand up to her husband. Delia, through years of hard work, has gained the strength and confidence to push 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 talks back to him. He even goes so far as to get her back by bringing 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 her growing strength and Sykes' death. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Delia's life story is truly inspiring.