Two statements that best express the major themes of the short story "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston are options -
D. The consequences of people’s actions eventually catch up with them,
and
E. Compassion has its limits and can vanish as a result of abuse.
Explanation:
It’s true that the consequences of one’s actions eventually catch up with him/her. Sykes got a snake to drive Delia out of the house but things ended up the other way round. The snake got out and bit Sykes which eventually killed him.
This is also true that compassion has its own limits and abuse can abolish it. Delia was compassionate towards Sykes. But it is worn out due to years of abuse. The men sitting outside the store always spoke of how Sykes' abuse had changed Delia who was once the most beautiful girl in town. It’s seen at the end of the story that Delia had no compassion for Sykes and therefore, she didn’t help him when he was dying.
