Short Story Analysis: The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurston

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Hurston, writing style is all about mixing and matching. “One of hurston’s abilities is to show how sophisticated African-American English is; rather than presenting dialect in a condescending or patronizing manner, she shows its richness and complexity.” ( Jones page 213) In "The Gilded Six-Bits", there are two different voices. One of the voices is that of the narrator, who tends to be clear and descriptive “The front door stood open to the sunshine so that the floor of the front room could finish drying after its weekly scouring” (208) The other features Slang. For example, where Joe and Missie may was fighting for the goods. “ ah ain’t, Joe, not lesen yu gwine gimmie whateve’ it is good you got in yo’ pocket. (209)

The Glided Six-Bits is about repentance and forgiveness. Missie's falls apart to earn Joe's eventual forgiveness of her sleeping with Slemmons. “She didn't deserve a thing and good Joe was letting her cook him some breakfast.” (215) Missie is so torn apart that she doesn't feel worthy enough to make Joe breakfast,but since he's "letting" her cook for him, she’s happy to abide. Joe is willing to hurt inside than show Missie he is hurting. "Missie May, ain't you gonna fix me no breakfus'?" ( 215) Joe hides his feelings by just continuing his day like it’s normal.

Zora Neale Hurston uses lots of imagery to add on to the suspense her story. For instance,the color white is often used to symbolize cleanness and purity. In The Gilded Six-Bits, this color is first used to describe Joe and Missie's house: “ The fence and house were whitewashed. The porch and steps scrubbed white. “ (208) Hurston uses white to acknowledge that their marriage is fresh. The baby boy is also a symbol of rebirth, renewal and second chances. Thr baby turns out to be Joe’s so he decides to give Missie another chance.

To conclude, Zora-Neale Hurston uses her life experiences and imagery to bring her stories to life. She embraces her flaws and create magic. Unlike other writers in her time, Hurston’s writing is a celebration of being black in America.

Works Cited

Davis, Cynthia, and Verner D. Mitchell. Zora Neale Hurston: An Annotated Bibliography of Works and Criticism. Lanham: The Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2013. Internet resource.

German, Norman. "Counterfeiting and a Two-Bit Error in Zora Neale Hurston's 'The Gilded Six-Bits'" Internet resource. (PDF).

Hurston, Zora Neale (1986). The Gilded Six-Bits. Minneapolis, Minn: Redpath Press. p. 36.

Mark, Dr. "Zora Neale Hurston-The Gilded Six-Bits.". 15 November 2011.