The Gilded Six-Bits Summary

Hurston’s “The Gilded Six-Bits” is a story about the changing relationship of Missie May and Joe Banks after their morals and values are tested with material items. A clear message in “The Gilded Six-Bits” is one that contradicted the beliefs of the American society during this time period, the idea that money or the urban life would bring happiness to the American household. Early in the story, Missie May and Joe Banks are a happy couple. They live an average and modest lifestyle, but are content with what they have because their relationship is what mattered most to them. However, the arrival of a character that represents a materialistic way of life turns their marriage around because they began to want the wealth most people wanted. In “The Gilded Six-Bits”, Missie May’s character is a character that is loving, innocent, and vulnerable, and she provides an excellent example and connection to the themes in Hurston’s story of marriage, love and betrayal.

Marriage is one of the themes in Hurston’s

story, as the Banks’ marriage is tested constantly throughout the story. In the beginning, Missie May and Joe seem to have a happy and fun marriage, but Slemmons, a newcomer to the town of Eatonville, turns their life, especially their marriage, upside-down. At the start of Hurston’s story, the readers are shown that the Banks’ live a modest but happy life and marriage, an example being when Joe comes home to his wife and they play-fight while she looks for gifts in his pockets. A quote from the story, “Joe smiled indulgently and let his wife go through all of his pockets and take out the things that he had hidden for her to find” shows that Missie May was content with the small gifts Joe would bring for her, and she was even happier with the playfulness of their relationship (Hurston). The arrival of Otis D. Slemmons turns their marriage upside-down; he brings greed into Missie May’s life, leading to her infidelity. Chinn’s article states that the central theme of Hurston’s story is marriage, and that the Banks’ marriage plays a key role to the events throughout the story. The setting is a vital piece of information for not only the story, but also the marriage; the time period reflects that of the Great Depression, and all though Joe’s job “provides a small but steady income, in terms of maternal possessions, the Banks family has only the necessities” (Chinn). According to Chinn’s article, Hurston explores “the misguided belief that material goods would bring happiness and using their marriage as a microcosm for the nation, Hurston explores what happens to individuals and relationships torn apart by value conflicts, and more importantly, what the process of healing might look like” (Chinn).
Another central theme that is important to the story is love, and this is shown with Missie May and Joe’s ability to continue the love they have for each other. The love Missie May and Joe have for each other is most evident in the beginning of the story, when everything is happy and fun. One example of their love being shown is when Joe comes home, and Missie May has prepared herself and a meal for Joe. The tone of playfulness and happiness helps show the love they have for each other, especially during the scene when Missie May is digging through Joe’s pockets, “shouting, laughing, twisting, turning, tussling, tickling each other in the ribs; Missie May clutching onto Joe and Joe trying, but not too hard, to get away” (Hurston). One of the articles says that “The Gilded Six-Bits” “portrays the triumph of rural over urban values” (Champion). This quote and the forgiving between Missie May and Joe show that love is a powerful tool for their relationship, the tool that helps them mend what was broken. It was love that motivated Missie May to make the deal with Slemmons; she felt that she should gift Joe with the material things he wanted, the things the couple could not normally afford.
The third theme applied to this story is the theme of betrayal, which is most evident in Missie May’s infidelity.

When first introduced to Otis D. Slemmons, Missie May is unimpressed with him, saying she prefers the life she and Joe live, and that she is “satisfied wid you jes’ lak you is” (Hurston). The introduction of gold to Missie May influenced her to want material things, bringing her into the deal she and Slemmons made. While in Chicago, Slemmons eradicated all his Southern beliefs in exchange for the “wealthy” class and society, and these ideas intrigued Joe. The arrival of Otis D. Slemmons turns the Banks’ marriage around and Slemmons’ status convinces Missie May to betray her husband. Slemmons arrives to Eatonville and “flaunts pretentious wealth” and “Missie May eventually is charmed by Otis’s apparent wealth” (Champion). It is because they allowed Slemmons’ corrupt views of life into their own life and marriage that their innocent lives became

corrupt.
Hurston’s character Missie May Banks in “The Gilded Six-Bits” is a key character to the connection of the themes marriage, love, and betrayal. She is constantly present in each theme of the story because of the traits her character has. Her loving, innocence, and vulnerability allow her character to change with the themes of Hurston’s story. The changes of her character led Missie May to bring new depth and complexity to her own identity. Her shift in moral views throughout the story allows her to be a part of all the themes presented in the story. Missie May represents each one of the themes, whether the theme be marriage, love, or betrayal, because of her change in beliefs and the ability her character had to develop throughout the story.