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Self-Realization in Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston and In Search of Our Mothers’

Gardens by Alice Walker

We have all observed a woman being looked down on, misjudged, or abused merely for being a

woman at some point in our world's history. Gender roles have been in place, as evidenced by

Greek mythology, bible stories, and various other stories. Women, especially in modern times

and the twentieth century, would seem to have a better opportunity later in history. According to

Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker, being a woman in the twentieth century was

extraordinarily tough. Both women were African-American women who were misunderstood

for everything because of their gender, ethnicity, and social level. However, they discovered

creativity and used it in their unique ways to communicate their feelings about the social

difficulties they faced as women and self-actualization throughout their stories. In "In Search of

Our Mothers' Gardens," Alice Walker and Zora Neale Hurston explore women's lives in the

twentieth century and how their gender, ethnicity, and class motivated them to discover their

inner creativity and self-actualization.

Each narrative demonstrates that women in the twentieth century face challenges, as

evidenced by Alice and Zora Neale Hurston's testimonials in their stories. Gender

discrimination has been around for a long time and has significantly impacted women's lives.
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Due to gender discrimination and preconceptions, women in the 1900s were constrained in their

ability to express their creativity. “Gender discrimination is unfair treatment based on a person’s

sex… While most gender discrimination is directed toward women…” (Barrett & Farahany

LLP). Women also had fought against this issue and made it a movement in the early 1900s.

"Women's suffrage was a pivotal moment in the battle for equality, but in 1918 women still

faced many forms of discrimination. While 8.4 million women gaining the vote in 1918

represented significant progress for the feminist movement, gender inequality was still

prevalent in the era and beyond” (Molloy, Johnson, and Lyons.) Mark Molloy, Jamie Johnson,

and Izzy Lyons came together to portray the discrimination women faced in the 20th century,

such as gender inequality.

We won't just talk about gender inequality; we'll also talk about how difficult it is to be a

woman of color. Being a person of color during slavery and Jim Crow meant being a member

of the lower class due to the limited opportunities available. “I clarify the process by which

such movements transform social structures and the constraints these women face when they

try to restore their fractured lives. But the black woman being pragmatic continue coping,

living, and forging ahead because the burden they carry is not just the black men, but their

children, and their future" (Emmanuel, Karen D.) Women of color had it worse, for they were

limited in expressing themselves and receiving specific opportunities. The Telegraph shares a

few of the constraints that women had in the early 1900s, saying, "Many laws and societal

attitudes meant women faced barriers and prejudice throughout society - in work, education,

and marriage...In 1918, women could not inherit property on the same terms as men. The Law

of Property Act 1922 changed that and meant a husband and wife could inherit each other's

property." (Molloy, Johnson, and Lyons.) From this evidence sharing the unfair limitations
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women were forced to comply with, I can understand why women were fearful of expressing

their creativity and blinded in realizing their true selves and fighting against gender

discrimination. Therefore, I will be discussing the ethnic, gender, and class hardships in Zora

Neale Hurston's Sweat and Alice Walker’s In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens.

Now that we have insight into how life was like for women of color in the 20th century,

we can understand the perspective of Alice Walker and the importance of her self-

actualization. "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens," by Alice Walker, shares her experience

with her mother and how hard it was to express her creativity. Being that she had desires of

artistry, she went to create a garden. According to Walker, "a garden so brilliant with colors, so

original in its design, so magnificent with life and creativity, that to this day people drive by

our house in Georgia-perfect strangers and imperfect strangers-and ask to stand or walk among

my mother's art" (pg 408).

Although she was very creative, she faced struggles because she was a black woman. "black

women whose spirituality was so intense, so deep, so unconscious, that they were themselves

unaware of the richness they held. They stumbled blindly through their lives: creatures so

abused and mutilated in the body, so dimmed and confused by pain, that they considered

themselves unworthy even of hope" (page 401). Walker stated that being a black woman would

be blinded throughout your life to prevent them from being you, proving that life as a black

woman, especially her time isn't easy. "How was the creativity of the black woman kept alive,

year after year and century after century, when for most of the years black people have been in

America, it was a punishable crime for a black person to read or write? And the freedom to

paint, to sculpt, to expand the mind with action did not exist." (page 403). Creating that garden

was Alice Walker's way of discovering her creativity and allowed her to gain self-actualization.
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Her inner artist, as she explains in the following: "Her face, as she prepares the Art that is her

gift, is a legacy of respect she leaves to me, for all that illuminates and cherishes life. She has

handed down respect for the possibilities-and the will to grasp them. For her, so hindered and

intruded upon in so many ways, being an artist has still been a daily part of her life. This ability

to hold on, even in very simple ways, is work black women have done for a very long time.”

(page 408). Alice Walker is one of the women who used Art to express herself, and as she used

the garden to show her creativity, she realizes that she is artistic and Art is connected to her,

unlike what her society had said.

With Zora Neale Hurston's "Sweat," she speaks about Delia Jones, who is in an abusive and

unloving marriage with Skyes, her husband. Skye has a mistress and takes every chance he

gets to get Delia to provoke him. “You sho is one aggravatin' nigger woman!" he declared and

stepped into the room. She resumed her work and did not answer him at once. Ah done tole

you time and again to keep them white folks' clothes out of this house." He picked up the whip

and glared down at her. Delia went on with her work. She went out into the yard, returned with

a galvanized tub, and set it on the wash bench. She found that Sykes had kicked all of the

clothes together again. And now stood in her way truculently, his whole manner hoping,

praying, for an argument. But she walked calmly around him and commenced to re-sort the

things.” This is a prime example of gender discrimination, as Skies treats Delia poorly and

mistreats her. As Sykes continues to insult Delia, her self-esteem lowers. “Too much knockin'

will ruin any 'man. He did beat huh 'nough to kill three women, let 'lone change they look"

(Hurston). We know that as a woman, she gets mistreated and can be a reason that adds to

Skye's superiority as a man. We also know that the lowering of Delia’s self-esteem can also

contribute to her belittling as a woman and gender discrimination. "Her tears, her sweat, her
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blood. She had brought love to the union, and he had brought a longing after the flesh. Two

months after the wedding, he had given her the first brutal beating. She had the memory of his

numerous trips to Orlando, with all his wages when he had returned to her penniless, even

before the first year had passed. She was young and soft then, but now she thought of her

knotty, muscled limbs, her harsh knuckly hands, and drew herself up into a little blue ball in

the middle of the big feather bed. Too late now to hope for love; even if it were not Bertha, it

would be someone else." (Hurston). Delia and Skyes’ marriage was broken, which led Skyes to

believe that he acted as he wanted with Delia, provoking her. Later in the story, Sykes gets

attacked by a snake, as karma gets him back for mistreating his wife, and Delia leaves him to

suffer. Delia finally gets the courage to leave Skyes, achieving self-actualization. "She saw

him on his hands and knees as soon as she reached the door. He crept an inch or two toward

her--all that he was able, and she saw his swollen neck and his one open eye shining with hope.

A surge of pity too heavy for her to bear put her away from that eye that must, could not, fail

to see the tubs.

He would see the lamp. Orlando with its doctors was too far. She could scarcely reach the

Chinaberry tree, where she waited in the growing heat while from inside the cold river was

creeping up and up to extinguish that eye which must know by now that she knew.” This event

of Sykes's pain is an eye-opener for Delia as she reflects on the pain that Skyes had given her

and gives her the self-actualization she needs to realize that she needs to leave Skyes to suffer.

This story was meant to uplift women as they go through the struggles of being a female and

give them a sense of hope.

Throughout this world's history, we have faced gender discrimination placed upon

women, which limited their creativity and self-actualization. Zora Neale Hurston in "Sweat"
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and Alice Walker in "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" share women's hardships regarding

gender, class, and ethnicity. "Sweat" shares the story of Delia Jone's discovery of women

empowerment as she leaves the situation she's in with her abusive husband. Alice Walker in

"In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" touches on her self-actualization and creativity she

discovers as she looks for a haven from her reality which is being a colored woman in a society

based on racial and gender discrimination. We agree that each story encourages women to stay

headstrong and look to creativity to aid them in their situations. Both stories share the gender,

class, and racial issues these women face and how they overcame these social issues. The 20th

century was hard to live in, especially if you're a woman and black. Society of that time has

tried to blind women to prevent them from being successful and headstrong. Zora Neale

Hurston and Alice Walker proved that you can be a woman and still be creative and

uncompromising.
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Works Cited

Emmanuel, Karen D., The Struggles Within A Society Where Black Women Suffer Racism,

Sexism, and Violence. 2014. CUNY Academic Works.

Johnson, Jamie, Lyons, Izzy, and Molly, Mark. 1918 vs. 2018: 13 things women couldn’t do 100

years ago. The Telegraph. February 6, 2018.