Too much pride can easily make a person ignorant to the truth. In Gilded Six-Bits, Sweat, and
Spunk, Zora Neale Hurston uses hubris to sculpt characters that eventually ruin themselves. These short stories challenge the typical view of the south during this time period by stepping away from racial conflict and instead focusing on the problems between the characters. She does this by almost making fear and deceit characters themselves and adding symbols that create lasting powerful messages. Hurston uses pride and arrogance in all three works to develop the characters, ultimately creating conflicts that center around betrayal, gender roles, and power.
Arrogant characters use their positions of power to assert their force over others but eventually …show more content…
Missy May had a seemingly perfect life with a strong marriage. Her husband loves her, doing small favors for her such as hiding treats in his pockets “for her to find” (Hurston, “Gilded” 671). When Joe initially talks about Slemmons, she is uninterested, telling her husband that she “is satisfied wid [Joe] jes lak [he] is” (Hurston, “Gilded” 672) and does not want him to change. But after hearing Joe talk about gold and money, Missy May cheats with Slemmons, betraying Joe. Literature set in this time period rarely features wives cheating on their husbands. This unusual twist is enough for Missy May to turn into a quiet, remorseful woman. Her life was filled with “no laughter” and “no banter” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). Missy May’s marriage crumbled around the human vice of being insatiable. Even with all that she had, Missy May still saw a chance to get something more and took it, no matter the …show more content…
Joe looks up to Slemmons at first, admiring his money and power, but Missy May’s actions make them both realize how tragic desiring after something more can be. Missy May’s desire for that gold coin makes Joe feel as though he will never measure up to a wealthy man like Slemmons.
Missy May justified her actions at the time with Slemmons because Slemmons said that “he wuz gointer [give her] dat gold money” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). She is haunted by this symbol of materialism for the rest of the story, jumping at the chance to be the wife that Joe deserves by “cook[ing] him breakfast” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). When she sees the “yellow coin on the table,” she “slumpe[s] into her seat and [weeps] into her arms” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). Missy May’s actions impacted Joe by shaking their marriage, giving Joe the responsibility to repair what they once had.
In Spunk, Joe suffers from the pride of Spunk, leading to his death. He lived a life paralyzed by fear. Joe thought that no one could understand the “pain he was suffering” (Hurston, “Spunk” 2). Joe made Spunk appear to be invincible; he gave him the power to take everything from him,
Aust
Spunk, Zora Neale Hurston uses hubris to sculpt characters that eventually ruin themselves. These short stories challenge the typical view of the south during this time period by stepping away from racial conflict and instead focusing on the problems between the characters. She does this by almost making fear and deceit characters themselves and adding symbols that create lasting powerful messages. Hurston uses pride and arrogance in all three works to develop the characters, ultimately creating conflicts that center around betrayal, gender roles, and power.
Arrogant characters use their positions of power to assert their force over others but eventually …show more content…
Missy May had a seemingly perfect life with a strong marriage. Her husband loves her, doing small favors for her such as hiding treats in his pockets “for her to find” (Hurston, “Gilded” 671). When Joe initially talks about Slemmons, she is uninterested, telling her husband that she “is satisfied wid [Joe] jes lak [he] is” (Hurston, “Gilded” 672) and does not want him to change. But after hearing Joe talk about gold and money, Missy May cheats with Slemmons, betraying Joe. Literature set in this time period rarely features wives cheating on their husbands. This unusual twist is enough for Missy May to turn into a quiet, remorseful woman. Her life was filled with “no laughter” and “no banter” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). Missy May’s marriage crumbled around the human vice of being insatiable. Even with all that she had, Missy May still saw a chance to get something more and took it, no matter the …show more content…
Joe looks up to Slemmons at first, admiring his money and power, but Missy May’s actions make them both realize how tragic desiring after something more can be. Missy May’s desire for that gold coin makes Joe feel as though he will never measure up to a wealthy man like Slemmons.
Missy May justified her actions at the time with Slemmons because Slemmons said that “he wuz gointer [give her] dat gold money” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). She is haunted by this symbol of materialism for the rest of the story, jumping at the chance to be the wife that Joe deserves by “cook[ing] him breakfast” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). When she sees the “yellow coin on the table,” she “slumpe[s] into her seat and [weeps] into her arms” (Hurston, “Gilded” 675). Missy May’s actions impacted Joe by shaking their marriage, giving Joe the responsibility to repair what they once had.
In Spunk, Joe suffers from the pride of Spunk, leading to his death. He lived a life paralyzed by fear. Joe thought that no one could understand the “pain he was suffering” (Hurston, “Spunk” 2). Joe made Spunk appear to be invincible; he gave him the power to take everything from him,
Aust