Hurston's "The Gilded Six-bits"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the story reveals how people can often become misguided by the lure of money and the false premise that it brings happiness. The author points out that the characters Joe and Missie May mistakenly believe that their paradise lies in the amount of money they can accumulate. The paper relates how many individual characters, in falling victim to such misleading impressions, learn that happiness and paradise have a price, which is not always easily figured in the measure of dollars and cents.

From the Paper:

"We soon realize that things are not always what they seem. May realizes the gold piece Joe placed beneath her pillow was no gold piece at all, but instead a gilded half-dollar. (1551) Additionally, Slemmons' watch charm was a gilded four-bit piece. She comes to understand why Slemmons forbade anyone "to touch his gold" (1551). This is significant because she knows that from afar, the gilded pieces look like gold and therefore from a considerable distance, Slemmons looks much richer than he is. This is another image of how money, even if it isn't real money, is linked to ideas of paradise. This is also significant because it reveals the true character of Slemmons and the reasons why he drifts from town to town. Like his gold, he is nothing more than appearance."

More papers on Hurston's "The Gilded Six-bits":

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