Works Cited Preliminary Page Next week you will be completing a research paper on one of the works you read during this course. To prepare for writing the paper, choose the work you will write about a

Bacuylima 3

Jennifer Bacuylima

Comparing & Contrasting Hurston & Wolff

Compare and contrast issues that the main characters deal with.

Hurston’s “Sweat” and Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain” feature complex main characters that are deeply flawed and must face significant personal conflicts (Hurston). In “Sweat,” Delia Jones is married to Sykes, an abusive husband, yet she manages to fight through it all and resist his cruelty. Not only is her conflict internal, as she battles with her fear and self-doubt, but external, too—the physical and emotional abuse that she has to endure from Sykes. In the opposite case, the cynical, embittered book critic Anders in “Bullet in the Brain” suffers a sudden and fatal encounter during a bank robbery. While Anders’ struggle is mainly internal to begin, marked by his long-standing contempt for life and joylessness, he externalizes this when he mocks the robbers and is shot himself (Wolff). The challenges both of them face shape them differently, but their personas and the circumstances they are in give them two drastically different responses.

Was their conflict internal, external, or both? Explain.

In Hurston’s story, Delia’s conflict with Sykes represents both an internal struggle and an external battle for survival (Hurston). She fights against her fear and resignation, determined to protect the home she has worked hard to maintain, even as Sykes attempts to sabotage her. Anders, on the other hand, displays mainly internal conflict rooted in his detachment and disdain for others, which ultimately causes him to disregard the danger in his situation. His internal cynicism drives him to provoke the robbers instead of complying, leading to his demise (Wolff). While Delia's internal strength empowers her to survive, Anders’s inner bitterness blinds him to self-preservation.

Were the main characters flat or round characters? How do you know?

Delia is a round character, exhibiting growth as she moves from fear to self-assurance and resilience (Hurston). Hurston reveals Delia’s depth through her actions and inner thoughts, allowing readers to witness her transformation as she reclaims her autonomy from Sykes. Anders, though, is a relatively flat character. Wolff portrays him with a consistent, unchanging cynicism, emphasizing his one-dimensional nature even as he faces death (Wolff). Despite his final flashback to a moment of innocence, Anders's character is largely static, with his sarcastic demeanor remaining intact to the end.

How does the dialogue contribute to the story? Compare and contrast word choice, tone, voice, and style in the stories.

The dialogue in “Sweat” enhances Delia’s strength and Sykes's cruelty, using dialect that reflects the cultural setting and lends authenticity to their conflict (Hurston). Hurston’s word choice is direct and evocative, helping to establish a tone of tension and struggle. Wolff’s “Bullet in the Brain” uses sharp, sarcastic dialogue that reflects Anders's contemptuous personality and his mocking approach to life (Wolff). Wolff’s writing style is concise and sardonic, matching Anders’s detached outlook. Both authors use tone effectively to mirror their characters' inner states—Hurston’s Delia has a tone of endurance, while Wolff’s Anders is almost amused at life’s absurdity even in his final moments.

Works Cited

Hurston, Zora Neale. Zora Neale Hurston's The Sweat. 1935. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Literacy_and_Critical_Thinking/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/05%3A_Fiction_Readings/5.17%3A_Zora_Neale_Hurston's_The_Sweat. 7 November 2024.

Wolff, Tobias. Tobias Wolff's short story, "Bullet in the Brain". 25 September 1995. https://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_27/section_1/artc2A.html. 7 November 2024.