The Gilded six bits.

Hurston’s short story, “The Gilded Six-Bits,� uses dramatic imagery to outline the healing of Joe and Missie May’s connection through a symbolic gold coin. Hurston, “spares no expense when gracing the pages with her tremendously vivid imagery and animating the most static objects� (Lenil 1). A simple coin traces the process of a marriage as well as enlightens the reader with the idea that money, or the idea of an urban life, does not always mean happiness
Joe and Missie May’s original innocent happiness begins to detoriate when they become fascinated with Ottis D. Slemmon. Slemmon, a stranger in town, represents a new world of wealth and urbanity. Living on money given to him by white women in Chicago, Slemmon has eradicated the southern way of life in exchange for an urban class, which fascinates Joe. Slemmon covered in gold, as Joe describes, “He’s got a five-dollar gold piece for a stickpin and he got a ten ten-dollar gold piece on his watch chain and his mouf is jes’ crammed full of gold teeth”(Hurston 254), is no longer is a man, but rather a symbol. Through Joe’s idolization of Slemmon, it is apparent that he wants to become part of this “wealthy� new world. Although Missie May is first unimpr



	Zora Neale Hurston, The Guilded -Bits On "The Gilded Six-Bits," Missie's infidelity test the strength of the marriage with her husband Joe, a marriage which utltimately weathers the storm. .... (600 2 )

	The Gilded Six Bit When I finished reading "The Gilded Six Bits " by Zora Neale Hurston, I felt as if there was hope. Hope in the fact that true .... (1335 5 )

	Alice Walker's Resurrection of Zora Neale Hurston, The Woman .... Three of her works, "Sweat, " "The Gilded Six Bits, " and Their Eyes Were Watching God, are set in the village of Eatonville where the houses were built .... (1938 8 )

	The Effect of Modernism on Ame .... the pronunciation. She writes in "The Six Gilded Bits " with such slang as "Humph! Ah 'm way behind time t 'day! Joe gointer .... (1372 5 )

When Joe finally looses his grip on the coin it is symbolic for him also loosing some of his anger. When the baby boy is born initially, Joe has no reponse. It is only after his mother tells Joe that the baby is, “. . . de spittin’ image of yuh, son. Dat’s yourn all right.”(Hurston 259) that Joe finally starts to show his forgiveness of Missie May. He attends the foot of her bed every day to inquire about how she is doing. Joe indicates his finally forgiveness when he visits the candy store, the first time in a year, and uses the entire coin to buy Missie May candy kisses. “He is determined only to buy kisses since they represent real kisses and his willingness to be playful again” (Chinn and Dunn 15). The disposal of the coin is final step for Joe in ending his anger.

Although Missie May put the coin back in Joe’s pocket, he refuses to spend it. The refusal to spend the money symbolizes his refusal to let go of his anger and lost pride. With out spending the money, Joe is also not sexually, spending time with his wife. When Missie May confides to Joe that she is pregnant, Joe feels for the coin in his pocket, reminding himself of his past hurt and disbelief that she may be pregnant with his child.

Some topics in this essay:
Gold, Joe, Money, Precious Metal, Coin, Gold Standard, Chinn, Hurston, Dunn, Chicago,

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PROFESSIONAL ESSAYS:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Babylon Revisited .... The Gilded Six-Bits This is the story of a husband and wife, Negroes, who are not well-off and live a simple life, he working night shift in a fertilizer plant .... (621 2 )

Bill Gates .... strategy could convert it from a one-platform company into a ....-platform one .... to compare how Bill Gates adds up to other industry titans from the Gilded Age, we .... (1869 7 )

Sculptures of The Parthenon .... Porches, fronted with .... columns each, are featured at the east and west ends .... parts of the building were "probably highly decorated and gilded," though people .... (4133 17 )

DONATELLO INTRODUCTION Donatello was one of t .... hand across her chest, and the other hand holds an antique gilded leather book .... Donatello's Cantoria occupied the sculptor for .... years, while he worked in a .... (4007 16 )

Fictionalized Piece on Factory Fire .... over from Sicily with her family when she was but .... years old. .... Girl personified beauty, independence, and personal fulfillment in the gilded Edwardian era .... (3770 15 )

Barbarians at the Gate .... The battle between Johnson and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts went on for .... weeks, and .... The Roaring Eighties were a new gilded age, where winning was celebrated at .... (2106 8 )

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