In the piece The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurston, two newlywed couples embark challenges in their relationship as the wife, Missie May, sleeps with another man, Slemmons, betraying her husband, Joe. Throughout the two exchanges of men whom she sleeps with, Missie May gains the same silver coin from both. However, the value of the silver coin changes based on who gives it to her. For Joe, the silver coin is worth more because it brought her happiness from real substances like going out on dates to get ice cream. For Slemmons, the coin was based on the lies of his wealthy businesses. Through Joe’s honest efforts to please May and make her happy, the author shows the power of the currency of exchange in the small, genuine interactions in one’s life. In fact for Slemmons, May realized how little value he brought into her life after she realized his wealth was all a lie when she did “not to recognize his stickpin as a gilded quarter, and his watch charm as a four-bit piece” (Hurston, 7). May’s life was simple with Joe in making breakfast for him and going out to eat. It was enough for her in the end because she was with meaningful people in her life, which brought great value, like the coin Joe gave her.
2 thoughts on “How and why does Hurston incorporate the process of giving great value to seemingly small things (e.g. gifts, personal foibles or tendencies, inside jokes, games) into the story?”
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Hi Kristy,
I think you make a great point of discussing how Hurston transforms the meaning of the coin throughout the short story. Initially, the coin represented opportunity, wealth, and happiness. However, once Joe began using the coin as a means of punishing Missie May by placing it in front of her each time she provided him a service, her perception of the coin changed to symbolize her false value. In identifying the central core of a healthy relationship and manipulating the meaning of the coin, Hurston communicates to the reader that the seemingly small things, like ice cream dates and inside jokes, are more meaningful and valuable in a relationship between husband and wife than any dollar or coin.
I understand your interpretation regarding the value of the coin in terms of Missie May’s two relationships, but I think that the question is referring to the intangible things within a relationship (i.e. inside jokes and games). Hurston’s depiction of these little things that would only have value to the couple shows the bond between Missie May and Joe. The little things that the couple shared like dinner dates on Saturdays and going to church on Sundays shows the true love that the two had for each other.