Consider the symbolism (or various symbolisms or meanings or emotional or psychological values) of the gilded coin in the story.
According to Merriam Webster dictionary, Gilded has many definitions but the 2 that are most notable in this story are “to overlay with or as if with a thin covering of gold” and “to give an attractive but often deceptive appearance to.” To provide some background into this story, Missie May and Joe are a happily married African-american couple living in the southern US in the 1930s. Otis D. Slemmons, an African-american from the north arrives in town and meets Missie May where Missie May commits infidelity with Slemmons. The gilded coin is important because the coin was given to May by Slemmons and is a symbol of Slemmons himself. On the outside a gilded coin is supposed to be a thin covering of gold meant to reflect a royal appearance and that is what Slemmons does in the story, arriving in town flashing fancy clothes and gold. However, this was just a facade and Slemmons wasn’t a wealthy/respectable northerner but a fraud. The 2nd defitintion of gilded if reflected here, where Slemmon’s appearance was a deception. He was faking his image of wealth flashing his clothes and gold when in fact he wasn’t wealthy at all.
I totally agree with the fact that the gilded coin is a facade and how it is the embodiment of how Slemmons’ appearance is simply just a deception. In addition to that, I think the gilded coin is a huge symbolism of marriage (to not focus on materialistic goods). It represent this temptation for something that isn’t genuine. Materialistic goods are temporary or not what meets the eye. In Missie May and Joe’s marriage, it was perfectly functional as they even had their own games and indulgences. The games and Joe’s small gifts are genuine representation of their marriage, while the gilded coin represented this temptation for something temporary and phony. Another thing is that the gilded coin represent Missie May’s affair. A question to think about is whether the role of being a women affects the symbolism of the gilded coin like what if it was Joe that cheated, which brings up another question of what was the real reason for Missie May’s infidelity.