In the end of Edith Wharton’s short story “The Muse’s Tragedy,” Mary Anerton confesses in a letter the true nature of her relationship with Rendle to justify why she cannot accept Danyers’ marriage proposal. In her letter, Mary Anerton corrects both Danyers’ false perception of her as well as the public image that society has painted for her by revealing that her love for Rendle was unreciprocated. Mary Anerton refuses to further her relationship with Danyers because she never was Silvia, the object of the famous poet’s love. The letter written by Mary Anerton explains her desire to be loved not for her image as Rendle’s muse, but for her true human self. Danyers was unwilling to adjust his blind admiration for Mary Anerton despite the validity of Mrs. Memorall’s “rude fingering[s] of his idol.” And although Mary Anerton eventually realized that Danyers “really cared” for her and not “only because [she was Silvia or]…because [he] thought Rendle had loved [her],” she decided she was not prepared to replace Rendle’s place in her life for she “never had what [she wanted, and never, never, never [would she] stoop to wanting anything else.”
Month: October 2019
Consider the symbolism (or various symbolisms or meanings or emotional or psychological values) of the gilded coin in the story.
The gilded coin in Hurston’s “The Gilded Six-Bits” symbolizes status, more specifically, false status. In the story, Joe and Missie May go to visit a Odis D. Slemmon’s ice cream parlor he had just opened. To most people, Slemmon seemed like a wealthy and successful man. Missie May is interested by Slemmons’ economic status and later caught in bed with him by her husband. She apologizes and claims to have only done it for the gold coins that Slemmons has. However, she later finds out the the gold coins were only quarters wrapped in gold, and she becomes embarrassed for what she had done. Although the gold coins were representative of Slemmons’ wealth, it was later apparent that the coins were just a hoax, basically.
Hurston’s Gilded Coin
The ‘gilded coin’ in Hurston’s story is symbolic of infidelity. When the coin is mentioned throughout the text, it is spoken about in relation to the state of Missie and Joe’s marriage. When reading the word ‘gilded,’ it relates to something gold plated. For the coin to be gold plated could stand as some sort of statement on Slemmons’ character. He may have all the shiny stuff and be successful, but it is what is on the inside that matters. When looking at Missy and Joe’s relationship, Joe took the coin from Slemmons when he caught his wife cheating (so the coin reminds him of that event), later on he slips it under his wife’s pillow (indicating it is still an issue between them), but then he spends it on kisses at the end of the story. By finally letting go of the coin, he tells the audience he has forgiven Missie.
Consider the role(s) of betrayal and infidelity in the story.
In “The Gilded Six- Bits,” by Zora Neale Hurston, the idea of wealth will make people do the unimaginable. Missie May and Joe exclaimed their love for one another and Missie made it clear that she would do anything to keep Hoe happy and make him feel better about himself. By Joe being so fascinated by the appearance of Slemmons and saying “Wisht Ah had a build on me lak got […] He jes’ got a corperation”(3), made Missie willing to do anything to pick him back up. Her putting herself in the position to give up her body to Slemmons, in order to get some “gold money” for Joe displayed her having pure intentions but incorrect actions. She risked losing the love of her life to get him the materialistic thing that would make him happy. The betrayal and infidelity committed was to make the other partner happy and helped reveal the flaws that other people possessed.
Why does Chekhov choose to depict these two people meeting each other but not much more? Why does he limit his story in this way?
In Anton Chekhov’s article “The Lady with the Dog,” the two main characters Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna are disappointed with each other’s marriage and love. Both of them dare not face their feelings because they are not willing to break the inherent lifestyle. The author uses the meeting of two these people to reflect the phenomenon that the society is full of hypocrisy and pretense. This article has an open ending. The author leaves the space for the reader to imagine, in order to stimulate the reader’s thinking, to arouse people’s expectations, enlightenment, such an open ending, allow the readers continue to read with their own imaginations.
What is the significance of the two lovers meeting at Yalta, a resort town?
Chekhov’s characters Dmitri and Anna meet at the seaside resort town of Yalta. It is a fantasy vacation spot, away from the problems of everyday life. There are not many exciting things to do in Yalta, and when people have time on their hands, they sometimes get into trouble. With Yalta as the setting, the story is ripe for an illicit affair. When Dmitri meets Anna and their fling is set in motion, the town instantly becomes infused with romance. Colors, sounds and scents come alive. When they leave Yalta, the town turns gray and dull. Beautiful scenery and floral scents are replaced by descriptions of the arrival of autumn and cold weather. Yalta is a good setting choice because its breezy, lazy environment is perfect for an adulterous affair. Its significance to the story is enhanced by Chekhov’s varying descriptions of the town, which mirror the emotions of the characters and developments in the narrative.
Consider of money and the presence or lack of it–wealth and poverty–on the shape of the story and on the lives of the characters and their personalities.
From the very beginning of The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurston, we can already see how wealth and poverty are a vibrant theme in this short story. The story starts with a depiction of the house that Missie May and Joe live in. They put on a facade of a wealthy and happy lifestyle through the lines, “the fence and house were whitewashed. The porch and steps scrubbed white.” The description of the house shows how they work hard to make the appearance of their house seem nice and clean, which is another symbol of wealth. We can tell that Missie May and Joe might not be as well off as they are perceived to be. Although it seems that Missie May and Joe have a happy marriage, with their constant games and laughter, we see how money plays an underlying role in the story and taint their marriage. Missie May’s willingness to risk her marriage to receive gold from Slemmons demonstrates how money and a higher class play an impactful role in influencing her decisions. She is overcome with her desire for wealth that she is willing to sleep with another man, even though she claims her immense love for her husband. Soon, the positive symbol of the coin for wealth and happiness turns the coin to a symbol of the infidelity and betrayal that Missie May brought upon Joe. However, towards the end, we see how Missie May and Joe realize that money and the power of wealth can no longer put a strain on their marriage.
Why does Chekhov choose to depict these two people meeting each other but not much more? Why does he limit his story in this way?
Chekhov limits his story in the same exact way Gurov and Ana limit their relationship with each other. It is obvious that they like each other, even though they are both married. They meet a few times, but it isn’t depicted as more because their relationship isn’t depicted as more. When Gurov kisses her in public, she says “What are you doing,… people are coming this way!” Chekhov depicts surface-level meetings between the two to emphasize the surface-level relationship between the two, though in the end it seems they want to make more of it.
How and why does Hurston use dialect in the story? Note that the characters’ speech and the narrator’s are in different dialects, with the former being Southern African-American speech and the latter being more traditionally grammatical American English, and so the story has two registers of diction.
Hurston changed between dialects in the story to help add an important aspect at the time which was the community’s geographical difference in the way they speak. The use of different dialects also helps visualization. The way the characters are seen to the audience is very different compared to the way the characters would be understood as if they were simply described as having the southern dialect. Since there is much conversation in the story, the use of the exact way people speak draws a clearer image in the setting as well as personifies the writing.
What do you make of the fact that we learn a great deal about Gretta’s youth at the end of the story? How does this change your view of Gretta and her relationship with Gabriel?
At the beginning of the story, Gretta is introduced as Gabriel’s wife without much background or even characterization. Gretta almost seems as if her character won’t have a huge impact on the story. It’s interesting how the author chose to introduce her in such a subtle way, but by the end, we learn about her background and how it has a profound impact on Gabriel. The author did a good job of drawing minuscule attention towards Gretta throughout the text and describing who she is towards Gabriel as you continue to read. This allowed the reader to realize Gretta would eventually be a crucial part of Gabriel’s development. Her tragic background changed her relationship with Gabriel because he realized that she had more depth and experience then he once knew. Gabriel also realizes that he has never known a love like the one Gretta describes. This reveals that their relationship wasn’t built on love, but instead, it was about how Gabriel felt about Gretta on the surface.