The Gilded Six-Bits

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• The Gilded Six-Bits Essay

  ... Her memories of the self-segregated Eatonville community stayed close to her heart, leading her to oppose school desegregation in the 1950s, against the rising tide of the Civil Rights Movement. In “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Zora Neale Hurston, Hurston reveals a fundamental insight into human nature: that patience and forgiveness is learned and is a gift. Missie May and Joe Banks are newlyweds living in an all black community in Eatonville, Florida. They have a playful domestic relationship. One day, Joe brought Missie May to an ice cream parlor owned by Otis D. Slemmons from Chicago and from spots and places. Then one night, Joe got home from work early because of back pain and walks in on Missie May having an affair on him with Mr. Slemmons. After that night, Missie May and Joe grew apart until a couple of months later. He came home one night of horrible back pains and they “grew closer.” Six months later, Missie May gave birth to a child looking almost identically like Joe. Though the story promotes openness and forgiveness, it envisions this only by means of a return to the asymmetrical economic arrangement that is arguably what led to the problem in the first place: that Missie May is economically powerless without a man. (Hardy) In the story, “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Zora Neale Hurston, patience and forgiveness is learned. Joe forgave Missie May and gave her a...

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• Gilded six bits Essay

  ...“The Gilded Six-Bits” Response 1. The story is written as a single continuous narrative, but the events take place over a long period of time. Estimate how much time actually passes between the beginning of the story and end. I would say that the story had to take place probably between nine to ten months. I arrived at this conclusion from information given in the story. Such as I drew from the fact that after being caught with Otis D. Slemmons, Missie May and Joe had not touched in three months, then six months later the baby boy had arrived. So in conclusion I basically just added those months together to estimate how much time actually passed between the beginning of the story and end. 2. How does the narrator’s use of figurative language such as “The hours went past on their rusty ankles”, affect the tone of the story. The narrator’s use of figurative language such as stated affects the tone of the story by slowing it down, giving the reader the affect that from now on in the story things would be slowing down and not like they use to be. 3. Identify the key events of this story and arrange them into rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. The rising action of the story would be when Joe came home to Missie May bragging and telling her of this new man Slemmons who just opened a new ice cream parlor, and his gold. The climax of the story is when Joe one night getting from work early...

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• Essay about The Gilded Six-Bits

  ...Freedom Through Speech African American stories, before the period of “The New Negro”, commonly concern themselves with slavery and personify people of African descent in America in a dreadful and demeaning manner. Zora Hurston, from the Harlem Renaissance, paints a different picture in a different era of what it means to live in America as an African American. Hurston shows her audience a transition in the lifestyle of African Americans going from poverty and depression to a period of joy and humor. In Hurston’s short story “The Gilded Six-Bits”, a particular scene towards the beginning exemplifies the superb life quality of African Americans in “The New Negro” era through the use of language. Hurston opens the story with a scene in which the two main characters playfully wrestle each other, “Missie May, take yo’ hand out mah pocket! Joe shouted out between laughs. Ah ain’t, Joe, not lessen you gwine gimme whateve’ it is good you got in yo’ pocket. Turn it go, Joe, do Ah’ll tear yo’ clothes”(Hurston 883). The language here contributes to the overall effect Hurston wants which is a comical, playful, and happy environment. Using “yo’” instead of “your”, “mah” instead of “my”, and contractions such as “ain’t” and “Ah’ll” exemplify a lack of seriousness and a sense of humor between the two characters. When spoken out loud, some of these words sound quite funny. If Hurston just said, “take your hand out of my pocket” instead of...

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• The Gilded Six Bits Essay

  ...Timothy Burtch Professor Andre English Composition II The Gilded Six-Bits The Gilded Six-Bits is a short story written by Zora Neale Hurston. It tells of Joe and Missie May, a young black couple who are happily married. Their household is not a rich household but a happy one. Every day, when Joe comes home from work he throws silver dollars in the door. Missie May always plays the role of an aggravated housewife at having to pick up the coins and chases him around the house which leads to wrestling matches. The ritual ends with the two of them laughing while she digs through his pockets for any little presents he may have bought her. A new ice cream parlor in town gives Joe a place to show off his so-called beautiful wife. They begin to visit the parlor every week and become friends with the owner, whose name is Otis. Their happy marriage is threatened because after a short while after this and several other visits to Slemmons’ ice cream shop, Joe comes home early from work to find Missie May in bed with Slemmons. She claims it is to make more money for them but as we know “these hoes aint loyal”. The thing about this story that I don’t like though is how it’s still worded in the old Negro language. It makes some parts of the story hard to understand and at times in the story I just wanted to give up and live another day. ...

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• The Gilded Six Bits Essay

  ...Te’Andrea Hood AML 4604 Davis 1/2/2014 The Gilded Six-Bits Summary The story takes place in Eatonville, Florida in the early 1930s. Joe and Missie May Banks are a newlywed couple living a happy life. Every Saturday afternoon Missie May leaves the front door open while she cooks and cleans for Joe. Joe works the night shift at G&G Fertilizer plant during the week. As Joe comes home from his job he is very playful, he usually stops by the store to get fifty-cent pieces. As he arrive home he begins to toss the money at the front door porch. While Missie May is cleaning and tending to her food, she hears the coins as they land on the floor. She finally walks outside to find Joe hiding from her. She finally greets him at the door and looks into his pockets. There she finds the ritual candy kisses he always bring her. This particular afternoon Joes surprises her. In addition to their usual routine, Joes tells her that he will be taking his wife to the new ice cream parlor that a new man from Chicago just opened. After dinner they put on their Sunday’s best and head to town for dessert. Otis Slemmons was the new guy around town and well known for his plentiful gold’s he wears frequently. He greets the couple at door; Joe introduces Missey May and Otis. With slick remarks from Otis trying to flirt with Missy May, the couple eat their dessert and leave. Otis continues to flirt with Missy may which eventually leaves them caught...

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• Six Gilded Bits analysis Essay

  ...The Gilded Six Bits by Zora Neale Hurston Background Published in 1933, during the great depression Hurston was married and divorced twice before this story was published Negro settlement in Eatonville, Orange County Florida, one of the first all-black town where Hurston grew up Plot Missie May happily washes and prepares herself for the arrival of her husband, Joe Banks, who works night shifts at a fertilizer plant. 
 Joe’s arrival is announced by him tossing 9 silver coins at the door, as he usually does. 
 Missie, with mock anger, yells and chases Joe around the house until she finally catches up and the wrestle each other playfully. Joe gives her candy and has a shower. 
They both eat and go out for ice cream at a parlor owned by Otis D. Slemmons who, recently moves into town and appears to be wealthy. 
 Joe shares with Missie that he wishes that he too were rich like Slemmons but Missie says that money isn’t everything and they eventually agrees that they are happy with their life and marriage. 
One day, Joe gets home early only to find Missie in bed with Slemmons. Joe laughs but punches Slemmons who runs out of the house. 
 Missie cries and thinks Joe won’t lover her anymore but Joe comforts her. Even though they don’t play fight, they stay together because Joe needs her to take care of him. Instead of candy he brings home molasses. 
 Missie had sex with Slemmons to get some of his gold but Joe eventually...

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• Essay about The Gilded Six Bits

  ...1. Why did Missy Mae sleep with Otis Slemmons? Was it necessary? - Missy Mae sleeps with Otis because he promised her gold coins. She did it so she can provide a better life for her and her husband. Unfortunately for her it was completely unnecessary. As long as he had her her husband did not care about money; he loved their life together. 2. Explain: "The yellow coin in his trouser was like a monster hiding in the cave of his pockets to destroy her". - Her husband carried those coins in his pocket in order to remind him of her infidelity. They may not have lived like husband and wife but he did not leave her yet. The coins signify her sin and the fact that at any given moment he could leave her was the "monster waiting to attack." 3. Does Joe forgive Missie May at the end? Does she "redeem" herself somehow? -I believe Joe does forgive her in the end. He spends the coins, therefore letting go of the best. And, after he comes back home he resumes their daily game as if nothing happens. After having the child that resembles him, I believe, he just wanted to pretend that nothing happened. I do believe she redeems herself, but not with one event. Her actions over the months that he barely talked to her coupled with the birth of child helped redeem her and give her back her marriage. 4. Explain.Is this a happy ending? -Yes, I believe it was a happy ending. The birth of the child has helped them gain back everything they lost....

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• Symbols in the Gilded Six Bits Zora Neale Hurston Essay

  ...Coins, quilts and a creek, what could these three things possibly have in common? They are all symbols of love, freedom, family and legacy. In “The Gilded Six Bits” by Zora Neale Hurston the coins represent Joe and Missie Mae’s relationship. In “Women Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros the creek represents a bridge to the past and the future for Cleofilas. In “Use” by Alice Walker the quilts represent family legacy and what happens when families disagree about that legacy. In “The Six Gilded Bits” we meet Joe and Misse Mae, newlyweds. They are young, in love and exceptionally happy with their life. They have lived a modest life in a small house “but there was something happy about it”. (Hurston 1) We meet Misse Mae first as she is preparing the house and herself for Joe to come home from work. “Who dat chunkin money in mah do’way?” (Hurston 1) Joe and Misse Mae have a ritual. Every week Joe comes home with his paycheck and he throws it in the doorway so that Missie can pile it up on the table while they have their dinner. It is a game for them, to save money for the children they hope to have soon. . At first the coins are fun and loving. ¬¬ It isn’t long before coins take on a very different meaning. There is a new man in town Otis D. Slemmons. He owns the ice cream parlor and he tells great stories of his wealth. Joe is quite taken by him and wants to bring Missie Mae to the ice...

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