Adjective

Very hot and humid:Sweltering

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultry

This word was encountered in chapter 10 of quicksand.”Arriving at work one sultry day,hot and dispirited,she found a waiting letter,”

when I first saw this word I didn’t know what it meant because I had never seen it before.At first I thought it meant something like sad or bland but now I understand that it is actually referring to the  weather.

This word also relates to Helga’s inability to deal with certain situations.Helga for the most part is slightly uncaring or rather shes detached.However when asked about marriage,when a kiss was stolen from her,the heat from the dance floor filled with all kinds of black folk twisting about in a “jungle animal” manner Helga just cannot handle it.All of this stems from her childhood. She cannot accept all that comes with being colored because she was so hated by her own family since she had colored blood. Early childhood researchers tell us that parents and life at home are instrumental to shaping an individual,its clear that her childhood implanted in her hatred for who she was.