Sweat Marriage Quotes

It's Sunday night—do you know where your husband is? Well, if you're Delia you can probably take a wild guess that Sykes is up to no good. The fact that she wonders where her husband is, and that he's taken her horse and her buckboard, shows us that this marriage is pretty light on trust.

Thanks, hubby! Here, Sykes reasons that because Delia is scared of his bullwhip, she deserves the shock. This sort of attitude and action add fuel to the flames of his bad guy status—and not the cool leather-jacket motorcycle-riding bad guy, either. We're talking the ugly, lazy, and angry dude that nobody really wants to deal with.

Why does Sykes come home and kick his wife's work around? We think it's a pretty telling action of his character. He doesn't respect his wife or her work and is probably intimidated by the fact that she's the real man of the house (i.e. breadwinner).

Sykes says this to Delia and we wonder why he doesn't just leave. Maybe it has something to do with that nice, big, comfy house and all the free cooking. Just a hunch.

Okay, now our hearts are breaking! It seems totally unfair that Delia, or any woman for that matter, should have to be with someone as cruel as Sykes. The image of her tears flowing like a 'salty stream' is also a nice metaphor—not much can grow with salty water, nor can a relationship grow without love.

Wait, fifteen years? Is it just us, or does that seem like an awfully long time to put up with a no-good mooch husband? Then again, it is the 1920s and the fact is, she's standing up to him now, and better now than never.

Okay, so Delia brings something good and pure like love to the marriage, while Sykes brings an appetite for lust and sex. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and Delia may have been hoping he'd change all along. In this case, old habits die hard (exhibit A: big Bertha).

If a 'spiritual earthworks' (something like a shield, a wall, or a protective layer) will help Delia survive alongside Sykes, then we say go for it. Spirituality can be a powerful weapon, especially if you believe in God and the Devil.

Does anyone else think of this as an "Aha!" moment? This is one of the best lines of "Sweat" because Delia completely speaks her mind, and her words are a sign that he has abused her one too many times. In other words, adios Sykes!

These words, spoken by a desperate and recently snake-bitten Sykes, are one of the nicest things he ever says to her. Ever. We, along with Delia, are not exactly sympathetic to the fatal mess he's gotten himself into, bitten by the very rattler he brought into Delia's house to scare her.