To Hell with Dying

The narrator begins the story by delving into a multifaceted description of Mr. Sweet, establishing both his general characteristics and some of his emotional issues before moving into the main recount of the “revival.” The narrator starts by noting his ailments as a diabetic, suggesting a physical internal conflict that ironically juxtaposes his name, then mentions his alcoholism, suggesting a tortured mind. Lastly, he’s a guitar player housed in a “neglected cotton farm” (Paragraph 1), a figurative acknowledgement of the lingering impact of slavery in America at the time. His emotional struggles, location, and status as a member of the local community alludes to the struggles of existing in segregated culture. His deep psychological burdens represent the ways in which the memory of slavery clings to the community, but the grief and limitations that he experiences in his life are improved upon by the narrator, who is happier, more innocent, and academically successful. This implies that the cultural ailments of the past, while carried in the form of intergenerational trauma, are alleviated over time.

His diabetes is never mentioned again in the story, but alongside the limitations on professions available to Black people at the time and the unexplained reasons that forced him to leave his true love, it’s clear that he is stuck in his shack on the cotton farm for a myriad of reasons.