Isabel Allendes An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat - Essay Example

A Comparison and Contrast of Isabel Allende’s An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat Most literature studiespostulate about the main distinctive indicator of short story being considered great is the ability of an author to ensure that he develops a very important internal theme whose main critical role is always to portray a specific message to the audience about the general nature of the reality. “An Act of Vengeance”, written in 1990 by Isabel Allende and “Sweat” written by Zora Neale Hurston employ the use of female powerlessness as the main theme. In “An Act of Vengeance”, the author, Allende critically and clearly brings out the twisted story that is characterized with hate, love and retribution in equal measure. In “Sweat”, Zora Neale Hurston portrays various realistic consequences and numerous situations all through the text (Hurston, Zora Neale 150). Both Isabel Allende’s An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat address the theme of feminine vengeance. Despite the fact that the approaches employed by the female main characters to vengeance varying, it is important to note that one of the most underlying similarities between the two short stories is the issue of female empowerment in a society that is mostly dominated by the male. The author makes the story incredibly dramatic mainly brought out at the moment where Dulce Rosa’s father not only realizes that his friends have fallen, but that he is also forced to kill his daughter in order to spare her from men like Cespedes. The author has been successful in presenting this as not only unexpected, but also quite heartbreaking. The author has also been successful in balancing out the different emotions in the story and has most importantly been able to ensure that the audience does not feel melodramatic. Additionally, the use of imagery has been successful though not subtle especially at the moment where the author presents the image of Dulce Rosa shedding the shreds of her bloodied gown and consequently immersing herself in the water which makes her come out clean. This is a clear representation of both rebirth and baptism. Additionally, the act of holding her dying father is a clear manifestation of transformation from a girl to a woman. The author, Dulce Rosa, in the An Act of Vengeance holds not only the power of her independence, but also the power of self-sufficiency. Despite the neighbors making suggestions about her “going to live with her godmother in a different town where her story is not known after being raped” (23), Dulce Rosa opts to stay behind and instead build a life that is comfortable out of the ruins left of her fathers house. In Sweat, Delia is also presented as a strong woman who holds the economic power in her relationship with her unemployed husband. Delia still finds much comfort in the home bought by her despite the abuse and infidelity of his husband. Delia stands her ground even when her husband, Sykes, tries to get her to leave her house to enable him move in with his mistress. She further stands her ground and leaves the husband to die from the snake bite that had earlier been meant for her. It is evident that vengeance by Delia is a decision not aimed at helping Sykes when the opportunity arises, but rather a decision that is aimed at causing Sykes direct harm herself. In An Act of Vengeances, Dulce Rosa was quite determined to kill Tadeo as a revenge for the death of her father. However, there is a twist when she later realizes that what she feels for Tadeo is love, hence making him torn between marriage and murder which are in real sense the two male expectations. Dolce Rosa later opts to kill herself instead of playing into either of these stereotypically male solutions. Her death leads into Tadeo losing all the hope he had for both love and redemption in his life. While the vengeance of Dulce Rosa leaves Tadeo alive, the vengeance by Delia leaves Sykes dead. These examples of feminine Vengeance is an indication of overlapping of the concept of women defining themselves as people in control of themselves and in possession of the power with which to carry out their will. The authors of both short stories have been quite successful in sharing the experiences of the characters with the audience through the use of the various literary styles like imagery and personification. Having successfully been able to share the experience with the reader makes the reader to be able to view the situation from a different perspective. A good example of this would be where Sykes who Delia’s husband is being presented as a character that no one would want to relate with, but the fact of deriding someone is also not a far stretch. The presentation of these two characters not only helps the audience to see the effects abuse has on others, but also makes one become more aware of the various social ills in the society such as domestic abuse. Being a strong feminist author as popularly known, the use of statements like “some gentlemen who possesses both fame and fortune managed to overcome the repugnance they felt because of the rape”, represents the use of a very telling interjection. The story has been presented not only as surprising, but also sad. Just like the explications of most fairy tales, the short story has been successful in painting out a vivid world for the audience. A world that would be quite difficult to forget, however how hard one might try. On the other hand, it is evident that the short story “sweat” is a true portrayal of the various realistic consequences and various situations. Amongst the most key to note is the fact that despite Delia being a strong and long-suffering woman, the life she lives is not perfect and is in most cases derided and ridiculed (Hurston, Zora Neale 156). This is a true explication of the ills in the society affecting good people. Another notable instance is when Sykes is bitten by a snake and despite Delia being in a position to help him; she opts to leave him to die; “She could hear Sykes calling in a most despairing tone as one who expected no answer He crept an inch or two toward her all that he was able, and she saw his horribly swollen neck and his one open eye shining with hope” (157). It is therefore evident that true indeed, “Sweat” has been presented to the audience as a story aimed at guiding the audience to self reflection. In conclusion, it is evident that both Isabel Allende’s An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat have a common theme that is feminine vengeance. Despite the few differences in plot and structure of the short stories, the authors of both stories have employed similar literary devices and techniques to pass out their message the audience. Both stories relate with our daily lives and will be very difficult to forget. Works Cited Hurston, Zora Neale. Sweat. E Fictions. Ed. Joseph F. Trimmer, Wade Jennings, and Annette Patterson. London: Heinle & Heinle, 2003. 149-157. Print Isabel Allende, An Act of Vengeance written, 1990. Retrieved on December 7, 2013 from http://lit13studentsnook.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/an-act-of-vengeance-by-isabel-allende.pdf. Online source Zora Neale Hurston, Sweat, 1997: Rutgers University Press (February 28, 1997). Print Read More