In “The Gilded Six Bits” betrayal and infidelity change Joe and Missie May’s relationship significantly. At the beginning of the story, their relationship is playful and loving. Joe would play game sand give gifts to Missie may and in return, Missie May would take care of Joe. Their relationship was so secure to Joe that he even showed off Missie May to Slemmons who was known to be a womanizer. This ended up backfiring because Joe caught Missie May and Slemmons together. After the incident Joes was still kind to Missie May, but the games stopped and he was no longer as loving as he was in the past. Missie May noticed the change in their relationship and just hoped he would just leave her because she couldn’t understand why Joe was still kind to her. Infidelity and betrayal changed their relationship tremendously because both people felt heartbroken by the incident by they also still loved each other.
2 thoughts on “Consider the role(s) of betrayal and infidelity in the story.”
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Missie May betrayed Joe by cheating on him with Slemmons to chase a life that she knew was impossible to achieving with Joe. I agree that although this changed their relationship they also still loved each other. Joe trades the coin in the end to show that nothing is worth genuine love that they have for each other. Hurston uses betrayal and infidelity in the text to show that it can ruin something that is not worth ruining.
I agree with your response. However, I thought Missie May was with Slemmons because Joe kept talking about how he wished to have a taste of gold, so she was trying to get that for him. But other than that, I got that interpretation that betrayal and infidelity put a strain. on the relationship when it was all unnecessary.