Zora Neale Hurston The Gilded Six Bits Analysis

The early 1900s in the United States saw a continued polarization of class and race. While The Industrial Revolution had created opportunity for many, and extreme wealth for a privileged few, this prosperity was heavily distributed among White America; the majority of Black Americans were still mired in poverty in the southern states. The abolition of slavery did not bring the equal rights and boundless opportunity for Black Americans that they had hoped for; instead it brought disillusionment and struggle. Similarly, the end of World War II saw a parallel of disillusionment begin to emerge among the youth of White America. These parallels grew into two very distinctly different American Literary genres. The one“Finding that their elders

had made a botch of things—the failure of the war “to end all wars,”...embraced a cult of youth and adopted...a stance of postwar disillusionment laced with a tone of bitter and ironic skepticism.” (cite) while the other “Instead of wallowing in self-pity,... ignited an explosion of cultural pride.” (Cite) Respectively: The Lost Generation, and The Harlem Renaissance.

Gertrude Stein coined the phrase “The Lost Generation” to describe a group of expatriate American writers whose disillusionment led to a meandering Bohemian existence in Europe. Among this talented group was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald’s writing epitomized the Gilded Age with stories that reek of what today might be called white people problems. Fitzgerald’s 1920 “Winter Dreams” is a tale about Dexter Green- a young ambitious white caddy in search of reputation and fortune amongst the upper class country club set. In his daydreams, Dexter becomes “...a golf champion...stepping from a Pierce-Arrow automobile…or perhaps, surrounded by an admiring crowd, [gives] an exhibition of fancy diving from the springboard of the club raft… (cite). In typical American Dream fashion, Dexter positions himself to attend the “right” University, starts a laundry business, grows from one to five stores, and then sells the entire lot for huge profit. By the age of thirty-two, Dexter is a businessman in New York “...where he had done well--so well that there were no barriers too high for him” (cite). Alas, Dexter is haunted by the memory of one Miss Judy Jones, the love of his youth. Judy is an exquisitely beautiful, rich debutante, who dates every young man who lives on, or visits, Sherry Island. Dexter spends an entire year chasing Judy around lavish country club parties before coming to his senses and engaging the wholesome Irene. Judy, however, decides she must have Dexter back and quickly succeeds in ruining the engagement before dumping Dexter for good. Many years later during a business meeting, Dexter learns that Judy’s beauty has faded! “Isn’t she--a pretty girl, any more?” (cite) he exclaims. “You say she was a ‘pretty girl’ and now you say she’s ‘all right.’ I don’t understand what you mean...She was a great beauty…” (cite) This revelation is too much for Dexter to bear. “For the first time in years the tears were streaming down his face”(cite). The story ends with Dexter mourning his lost illusions “...of youth, of the richness of life, where his winter dreams had flourished” (cite)

In contrast to the lavish settings and self-indulgent themes of The Lost Generation writers, The Harlem Renaissance writers sought to legitimize and humanize the heritage and culture of Black Americans.

Zora Neal Hurston’s 1933 “The Gilded Six Bits” is a seemingly innocent slice of life story about a young married black couple. Hurston boldly displays Missie May as real woman whose “...stiff young breasts thrust forward...like broadbased cones with the tips lacquered in black” (594). Hurston uses playful colloquial dialogue to establish a sweet, loving relationship between Joe and Missie May. “Missie May, take yo’ hand out mah pocket!” “Ah ain’t, Joe, not lessen you gwine gimme whateve’ it is good you got in yo’ pocket…” (595). The couple live, work, and play with childlike joy until a gold-laden stranger comes to town. Otis D. Slemmons has “a five-dollar gold piece for a stick-pin and...a ten-dollar gold piece on his watch chain and his mouf is jes’ crammed full of gold teethes” (596), given to him by Chicago white women. Joe feels inadequate. Missie Mae sleeps with Otis to get a gold piece for Joe’s watch chain. Joe catches the two in bed. The sweet bond between them is broken. The “gold” piece turns out to be a gold-plated four bit piece. Missie Mae was fooled; she traded in something real, pure, and honest, for something superficial and fake- gilded like the Gilded

Age.

The Lost Generation writers and The Harlem Renaissance writers are two distinctly American genres springing from the same era and arriving at two very different destinations. Where the one group mourned the loss of infinite privilege, the other mourned the loss of expectant equality. Where one group fled to Europe to indulge in self reflection and self destruction, the other fled to Harlem to establish community and gratitude. Both of these genres give us priceless insight into the vast disparity of America during the early 1900s.

http://plp.mcc.commnet.edu:6487/content/entry/jhueas/lost_generation/0?searchId=ba03ed14-c030-11e4-81b0-12c1d36507ee&result=0

http://www.ushistory.org/us/46e.asp (Harlem Ren)

Works Cited

Bak, Hans. "Lost Generation." Encyclopedia of American Studies. Ed. Simon Bronner. : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. Credo Reference. Web. 1 Mar 2015.