User:Masonl2/sandbox

Theme: Male Insecurity

During the post-civil war time period, black men in the rural south had few job opportunities while black women could find work in the domestic service industry. As seen in the story, Delia is the sole financial provider for the family and this makes Sykes' masculinity feel threatened. Sykes understands that he needs his wife's money, so he resorts to physically harming Delia is order to help him feel powerful in a restrictive enviroment for black males.