Symbols in“the Gilded Six Bits” Zora Neale Hurston Essay

The character Clemencia for Never Marry A Mexican is just so refreshing and modern. A women of her words. Her fierceness and unique voices help me realizes that these invisible double standard gender stereotypes is only as strong as to how much I believe in them. Before reading this short story, I was indulge into a society where it 's a shame for women to think of men sexually let alone a marry man. I think it is a sign from society to pretty much wanting women to be pure and well behave. But, Clemencia she goes against that current. Her thoughts are liquid and they sting. They let the readers in and be apart of her brain as a spectator. She makes the reader, realizes how powerful she is and she is able to have that power because

Overall, the short story displays a great way of using irony by Zora Neale Hurston. It may be how Missie May shows betrayal when she cheats on Joe or how her undying love and loyalty present the theme of marriage by making sure Joe’s needs are met. Joe shows representations of themes as he forgives Missie May when she thinks he don’t love her “no mo.” (212) Otis D. Slemmons, reminds the reader that appearances are not what they may seem.

The Harlem Renaissance marked the coming out of many brilliant black authors and thinkers. Names like Jessie Redmon Fauset, Alain Locke, Ralph Waldo Ellison, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston marked the scene. Hurton portrays many messages in her stories without having to explicitly spell it out. This among other reasons make Hurston's writing so rich. Two of her almost fable-like stories, "Sweat" and "The Gilded Six-Bits", each portray powerful messages individually. In "Sweat," you get a message of "whatever goes over the Devil's back, is got to come under his belly." You will reap what you sow among other messages. In "The Gilded Six-Bits," you learn that time will heal, money is the root of all evil, and other morals. These

In the story, Cleofilas has always thought that if a man ever strikes her, she would strike back. However, as the story progresses, Cleofilas starts to endure her husband’s abuse. The first time Juan Pedro hits her she is too surprised to even shed a tear or try to defend herself (Cisneros, 1991, p.249). Cisneros wants to address domestic violence because many women feel helpless when they are in controlling and abusive circumstances. Moreover, a controlling and abusive relationship causes a great deal of tension and unhappiness, which Cleofilas experiences throughout the story.

She doesn't know being beaten by her husband is not a normal thing. She is living in the suburbs with her husband with neighbors who in their own way, are trapped as well. Cisneros also shows how life can be for Cleofilas when a mom is not present to guide heir, again, Cleofilas's only guide are the television series. "The creek, the televonelas and the border define the mythic spaces given to Cleofilas in her fantasies of escape from a battering husband."(Mullen 6) The town which Cisneros chose to have as the setting of the story, there isn't much for her to do;" in the town where she grew up, there isn't much to do except accompany the aunts and godmothers to the house of one or the other to play cards."(Cisneros 44) Using that, Cisneros helps the reader to get a taste of how the environment is. An environment which women don't have a say in, an environment where woman don't have the equal power as men; the environment Cleofilas was raised in.

You can see how Maria’s El Salvador is empty of people, full only of romantic ideas. Jose Luis’s image of El Salvador, in contrast, totally invokes manufactured weapons; violence. Maria’s “self-projection elides Jose Luis’s difference” and illustrates “how easy it is for the North American characters, including the big-hearted María, to consume a sensationalized, romanticized, or demonized version of the Salvadoran or Chicana in their midst” (Lomas 2006, 361). Marta Caminero-Santangelo writes: “The main thrust of the narrative of Mother Tongue ... continually ... destabilize[s] the grounds for ... a fantasy of connectedness by emphasizing the ways in which [Maria’s] experience as a Mexican American and José Luis’s experiences as a Salvadoran have created fundamentally different subjects” (Caminero-Santangelo 2001, 198). Similarly, Dalia Kandiyoti points out how Maria’s interactions with José Luis present her false assumptions concerning the supposed “seamlessness of the Latino-Latin American connection” (Kandiyoti 2004, 422). So the continual misinterpretations of José Luis and who he really is and has been through on Maria’s part really show how very far away her experiences as a middle-class, U.S.-born Chicana are from those of her Salvadoran lover. This tension and resistance continues throughout their relationship.

In the beginning, Janie is captivated by a bee that associates with the blossom of a flower. She sees a “bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom” and meet with the “love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree” which was “creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight” (p 11). Hurston incorporates the bee and the blossom symbol to represent Janie’s desire for love’s pleasure. The author reveals to the audience of how she is taken away by the overwhelming desire and passion shown from the “creaming” of the tree and the bee. This marks her virginity as she is presented pleasingly to the desire of lovemaking, yet also conserve her purity through creating her expectations for her later affectionate lovers. Further, Hurston portrays the shattering of Janie’s bee and blossom dream when she is left to realize that being with Joe and his personality is an illusion as he slaps her. She “stood where he left her for unmeasured time and thought” and saw that “her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered” causing her to have “no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man” (p 72). Hurston revealing Joe’s actual image to its reader depicts Janie’s apprehension of how he was never the man of her dreams and just persuaded herself to believe that he was just a better man than Logan. She is left with the

Based on Cisneros’ works of literature, gender roles in a Hispanic culture revolves around patriarchal rule. The repercussions of a patriarchal rule includes the limitations of female liberation and development. Cleofilas’ abusive situation exemplifies the limitations of her independence and development as she can not make her own decisions and has to solely depend on her husband. This situation is illustrated when Cleofilas explains that the towns are “built so that you have to depend on husbands... You can drive only if you’re rich enough to own and drive an own car. There is no place to go” (Cisneros 628). Cleofilas reveals that men are the dominant gender and have more authority, and that women are compelled to depend on them in her society. It is an exceptionally rare case that a woman can afford her own car, for the men usually control the finances in a household. Additionally, Cleofilas has nowhere to seek refuge from her husband. Although she yearns to return to her father’s home, she decides not to due to the social standards imposed on her. In her society, the act of returning home after marriage is socially unacceptable. She understands that her family will be viewed in a negative light if she were to return home, as seen when Cleofilas refers to her town as a “town of gossips” (627). Similar to other men in the society, Juan Pedro’s authority is shown through his abuse. Cleofilas recalls, “He slapped her once, and then again, and again; until the lip split and bled an orchid of blood” (626).

She uses the literary element, theme, to describe this. The theme of the story is the feeling of disaffection. Also, the story discusses how Cleofilas’ husband Juan abuses her and it first she thinks nothing of it, because she feels that “to suffer for love is good”. But the more she thinks about it she gets to a point where she gets fed up with it and plans a way to leave her husband and go back to Mexico with her father. Cleofilas talks Juan into taking her to her doctor appointment. When in the doctors’ office, her doctor knows exactly what happened and helps her escape. She takes a bus back to Mexico to her

In The Gilded Six-Bits, Zora Neale Hurston utilizes a few of distinctive procedures to characterize Joe and Missy May, the primary couple all through

In that community women must give up everything for their men. These women are trapped in their homes and sexually assaulted by the dominant man. Although, Esperanza knows that she won’t suffer the same way. “I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am the one who leaves the table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate” (89). She refuses to be treated in such a way, and shows her feelings by doing what she believes in. Esperanza focuses on herself, knowing if she wants to be different from the other women in her society she’s going to have to completely understand what she wants. At first, she was self-conscious and worried about how others viewed her. However by the end, she was no longer willing to follow the standing gender roles in her society. Esperanza still had a regard for how the people she cared about viewed her but knew she had to focus on what she thought was right. Focusing on her identity gave Esperanza the chance to unleash her true self against the outside forces holding her back.

In “The Gilded Six-Bits,” Zora Neale Hurston uses several techniques to characterize Joe and Missy May, the main couple throughout the story. Hurston uses her own life experiences to characterize Joe and Missy May and their marriage. She also shows their character development through her writing styles and techniques, which show reactions and responses between Joe and Missy May to strengthen the development of their relationship. Hurston supports her character development through her writing style, her characters dialect, and includes experiences from her own life to portray a sense of reality to her character’s personalities.

They were both taken in by his slick ways. "The lesson has been costly but because the foundation upon which the marriage was built has been strong, the marriage has survived.  Missie and Joe genuinely love each other and both have enough courage, determination, and trust in each other to weather the storm" (Howard 152). The marriage was built on a strong reality.  They were both taken in by Slemmons (slimy), but they had to remember that all they really needed was each other.  Joe remarks, "That was the best part of life - going home to Missie May.  Their white-washed house, the mock battles on Saturday, the dinner and ice cream parlor afterwards, church on Sunday nights when Missie outdressed any woman in town - all, everything was right" (2091). Robert Bone, in his book Down Home: Origins of the Afro-American Short Story says, "Hurston's sole attempt to deal with the urban scene, depicts the self in jeopardy from false, urban values.  The 'Gilded Six-Bits' brings the theme full circle" (138).  Missie and Joe have to, and do, get back to their original simple ways of showing affection for each other.  Performing the little rituals they did before being dazzled by Slemmons, and his false outward appearance.

Cleofilas definition of marriage is two soul mates in love and living the high expectations of “happily ever after” and Cisneros quickly points out that marriage does not live up to women expectations. In the story, it states that “She had always said she would strike back if a man, any man, were to strike her” (Cisneros 222). Cleofilas had always thought if a man were to ever hit her in any type of way, she would take full action. Unfortunately, however, she endures her husband's abuse. The first time he even hits her, she was too in shock to defend herself or to even shed a small tear. Cisneros wants to bring people's attention about the problems of domestic mistreatment because many women in those cases are helpless when they are in a violent and controlling situations. Cleofilas experiences an extreme amount of unhappiness due to the violent and controlling relationship she was enduring.

Poor Lourdes feels unwanted from the beginning of her life with her mother swearing to forget her; therefore, throughout her life Lourdes feels a lingering resentment, even though the acts by Celia were purely through emotional displacement brought about by the nastiness of her in-laws. “Her mother’s doleful rhythm followed them everywhere” (Garcia 25). The reader can plainly see that Lourdes is both embarrassed and ashamed of what her mother was and is unwillingly to forgive her. Lourdes claimed her mother was dead to garner pity from strangers so they would buy her sweets, and secretly wished it were true at times.