Sweat

Hurston is well known for her use of African American vernacular and regional speech, both in her nonfiction and her fiction writing. She used her fiction as a space in which to share these traits as matters of identity. She used idioms from the Black communities of Florida that her characters are based upon and amended the spelling on the page to capture the sound and rhythm of their speech. This phonetically spelled dialect can challenge readers who are from outside that region or unfamiliar with Hurston’s work. However, it imbues Hurston’s stories with a richness of language and characterization that is unique to her work.

This technique may strike some as offensive; both today and in Hurston’s time, some felt that the phonetic language mocked Black speech and could contribute to negative stereotypes of Black people. However, Hurston’s stated intent was to capture the speech of real people and to represent Black communities in a realistic and appreciative light. Many see her work as an anthropologist as a major contributing factor to this choice. Hurston did not believe in inferior or superior cultures or speech styles; she believed that all cultures were to be celebrated and that she should share the unique nature of the communities that she knew.

In “Sweat,” the vernacular comes in the form of nonstandard grammar, diction, and spelling throughout the dialogue. Colloquialisms used in the text include folk sayings and common allusions, and give the dialogue further character. For example, folk sayings include lines such as “whatever goes over the Devil’s back, is got to come under his belly” (Paragraph 26) and Delia’s declaration that she won’t leave her house until she is “toted out foot foremost” (Paragraph 22). Most of the allusions are Christian ones, quick mentions of biblical figures or terms that add greater depth to the depiction of Delia’s religious faith.