character
who is the bartender?
Stan
In what U.S. state does the play take place?
Pennsylvania
What major workplace event triggers the central conflict?
layoffs
The play mainly explores struggles of which social group?
the working class
“This is a good job.” This line reflects what feeling about factory work?
pride
This character struggles with parole after prison and represents lost opportunity.
Jason
The play alternates between scenes set in 2000 and what later year?
2008
Which two friends end up physically fighting after tensions boil over?
Jason and Oscar
Workplace tension in the play often connects to what social issue?
racism
When characters argue about promotions, it mainly reveals what fear?
fear of being replaced
She is Tracey’s close friend whose relationship is strained by workplace tension.
Cynthia
What type of workplace forms the economic backbone of the characters’ lives?
steel mill (factory)
What crime leads to Jason’s imprisonment?
assault
The mill represents what larger idea beyond just a job?
identity and stability
Dialogue about immigrants “taking jobs” highlights what misconception?
blaming workers instead of systems
This character’s promotion sparks resentment and division among coworkers.
Cynthia
The economic decline shown reflects what larger national trend?
deindustrialization
What personal betrayal deepens the rift between Tracey and Cynthia?
Cynthia accepting a management promotion
The title Sweat symbolizes both physical labor and what emotional state?
stress/pressure
The tense bar conversations often use interruptions and slang. What does this technique show?
realism and emotional intensity
He is Oscar’s cousin and symbolizes immigrant labor competition fears.
Brucie
The bar setting functions symbolically as what kind of space for the characters?
refuge or neutral ground where social tensions surface
The play’s structure reveals consequences before causes. What literary technique is this?
fractured timeline
The characters’ conflicts illustrate how economic hardship can transform into what destructive force?
social division and scapegoating
The play ends without full reconciliation. What message does this send about systemic problems?
that they cannot be solved easily or individually