The popular interpretation of this story by Zora Neale Hurston is that two young newlyweds (Joe and Missie May) have what appears to be a perfect marriage until a boastful newcomer from Chicago (Otis) opens an ice-cream parlor in their small Southern town. The couple’s playful, passionate bliss is shattered when Otis, who appears wealthy and sophisticated, seduces Missie May in exchange for promises of gold. In most short stories, this would lead to a tragic ending. Not here! The couple come out of it seemingly happier than ever. Themes: poverty, love, deception (appearances vs. reality), temptation, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness. More…
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The Eatonville Anthology
Rather than a single story, Zora Neale Hurston’s Eatonville Anthology is a series of vignettes and anecdotes about life in a small African-American community outside Orlando, Florida in the early 1920s. Eatonville was Hurston’s hometown, and the power of her anthology is that each story is based on either real people and events or local folklore. This and the use of authentic dialect capture the local color and folksy spirit of the town, and highlight an important theme: the traditional role of storytelling in preserving cultural heritage. Other themes: community, connection, change. More…
Sweat
At its simplest, this story by Zora Neale Hurston is about a cheating, abusive husband who got what was coming to him. Everyone in Delia’s poor black community seems to know about her brutal mistreatment at the hands of husband Sykes. However, nobody offers to help. She finally reaches breaking point, and threatens to go to the “white folks” if he touches her again. Sykes wants Delia’s house and devises a plan to kill her but, in an ironic twist, she manages to turn the tables. Themes: oppression, good vs. evil, hard work vs. laziness, domestic abuse, adultery, courage, greed. More…
Spunk
In Zora Neale Hurston’s Spunk, a mild-mannered man (Joe) is killed when he bravely but foolishly confronts his cheating wife and her macho lover. The story raises some interesting questions. Did Joe act out of love for his wife, or shame because she had humiliated him? Why did he stop at a store on the way? Was he hoping the “loungers” would talk him out of going, and too weak to back down when one of them encouraged him? Finally, who or what caused Spunk to fall into the saw? Themes include love and passion, courage and fear, the supernatural. More…