Who among us has not been shaped to some degree by our life experiences and our religious or moral beliefs? The main character of the short story “Sweat” by Zora Neal Hurston is no exception to this rule, and Hurston demonstrates this very effectively throughout the story with the use of symbolism. Delia, deeply religious and hardworking, seems tormented by the burden of a lazy and morally bankrupt husband, yet is able to persevere through the trials of her daily life due to the strong influence of religion on her life. Hurston shows Delia taking shape and becoming stronger through her religious beliefs over and over again throughout the story; not only through the biblical references made throughout, such as the reference to Gethsemane, the rocks of Calvary, and the Jordan River, but also by describing Delia's devout religion when she details her Sunday church activities and her fear of snakes which are symbolic of evil. When we are first introduced to Delia, we find her sorting the laundry to be washed the next day after spending Sunday morning in church. Even though it was the middle of the night, Delia was still up sorting and soaking laundry, preparing for her busy day on Monday. It is here that we first see evidence of Delia's devout faith. For many religious people, particularly in the South during this time period, Saturday (or Sunday) is considered a day to devote to attending church worship services. For Delia it is of great importance that she can dedicate Sunday to worship, for this reason "she collected the dirty clothes on Saturdays and returned the clean ones. On Sunday evenings, after church, he sorted and soaked the white things” (Hurston 563). Even when her abusive husband, Sykes, comes in and just kicks her...... middle of paper ......n with her daily life and endures her abuse at the hands of her husband knowing that she will one day be free from everything, as well as from her evil and boorish husband Sykes. After a day of church worship on Sunday, Delia finds the strength to stand up to Sykes by taking no action to save him from his fatal snake bite, which was ultimately caused by her own evil actions. How fitting that this man, portrayed as a slimy serpent, was killed by a real serpent, one of God's creatures. Works Cited Hurston, Zora Neale. "Sweat." Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 563-571. Print.Works CitedHurston, Zora Neale. "Sweat." Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 563-571. Press.