Freedom was a widely used theme in literary works of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During this period, short stories and poems were among the most influential mediums for communicating general ideas in society ranging from socio-economic issues and political ideologies.
Among the classical writings of this period was Sweat, a short story by Zora Neale Hurston. This particular artist was a literary star owing to her immense talent with several award-winning plays, novels, and short stories under her name.
Sweat was initially published in 1926 detailing the story of a domestically abused laundress and her unemployed male chauvinist husband. The title of this short story relates to the tireless effort the protagonist puts in to support herself and her unemployed husband. Throughout the work, Delia is portrayed as a devout Christian and virtuous wife who goes out of her way to support her family by laundry washing and showcasing steadfast loyalty Sykes. Another classical work of this period is the poem “The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth. This literary work was first published in 1907. and it falls under the category of a sonnet. The tone used by the poet is a bitter critique directed towards the modern age for having lost its connection with nature as well as other meaningful things that the world and life have to offer. “Sweat” and “The World is Too Much With Us” are two classical literary works of the early 19th century in which the authors dominantly used the then persistent theme of freedom.
In Sweat, the main protagonist Delia is depicted as a hard-working and devout wife who washes the laundry for the upper-class whites to generate an income for herself and her husband. Nevertheless, her unemployed husband does not give her the peace of mind but goes ahead, violate her in their entire fifteen years of marriage. She is trapped in a physically abusive marriage. Still, She is reluctant to come out of it, for this would contradict with her Christian values of an obedient and submissive woman XX. She endures through the marriage with the hopes that her husband Sykes will one day see the light and repent for the sins he had been committing in their marriage. Sykes, however, does not show any sign towards changing his ways and even brings in a mistress to humiliate her wife Delia further.
Similarly, in “The World is Too Much With Us,” man Wordsworth critiques the modern age for allowing themselves to be trapped in the materialistic mindset of the time and, in return losing sight of the beautiful gift nature has to offer. Man is depicted to be living in a rat race for the ultimate goal of material pleasures. This transformation has cost human beings their previously granted freedom and instead transformed then into a senseless. The worst part about this possession trap man has set for himself is that they lack awareness of what they have imposed on themselves since they are obsessed with money, power, and possessions. He can no longer resonate with the beauty present in nature.
In both the literary works above, the authors present a denial of freedom in the initial stages of their works and offer a viable solution the protagonists are supposed to take to win their freedoms back. In Sweat, the devout and enduring nature of Delia makes Sykes push her to the extremes in their marriage. He does not provide for her wife but instead cheats on her and brings a mistress to their home. Ultimately, he plots a move for killing Delia. The village men’s discussion at Joe Clark’s store acknowledge of Delia’s extreme mistreatment and agree the ordeal is capable of killing three ordinary women. Delia’s change of the status quo presents when she gives up on waiting for Sykes to change and her development of a triumphant indifference towards her husband XX. This indifference later paves the way for a full rebellion. In her quest for freedom, Delia contradicts her Christian virtues of generosity and kindness as well as charity. He looks on as her husband is killed by the snake had placed as a snare to kill her. Similarly, The World is Too Much With Us exposes some of the enslavements man has placed on himself through his preoccupation with material things. In the octave, the speaker notes how modern age has lost its connection with nature and everything meaningful and traded their hearts way. The poet further describes how humans misunderstand the rising and falling of the sea through the workings of the moon and the winds. The prescribed manner of reacquiring this one held freedom based on Wordsworth lies in an impossible personal solution to the materialistic obsession. He wishes her would have been born a pagan to enable him to see ancient gods in the actions of nature, which he considers will provide spiritual solace the freedom he seeks.