Put a Lid on It

Some people are men and women of many hats. Miss Daisy and Hoke are a woman and a man of one hat apiece. Okay, Miss Daisy probably has a ton of hats, but they all mean one thing: rich white lady coming through. Hoke has two hats, but both represent basically the same thing.

In the first scene, he wears a clean but well-worn brown hat. Not much is made of it, but it is simply part of his neutral, harmless appearance. His main hat is the chauffeur's hat he wears while driving Miss Daisy. You can see both characters' hats in the film's poster.

Hoke's hat is the most significant though, because it simultaneously places him in a position of control and a position of servitude. Yes, he's behind the wheel, but he's driving someone else's car, and he must follow her directions.

After being harassed by racist cops in Alabama, the first thing Hoke does, in close-up, is put his chauffeur hat back on. He may have a servant's job, but he's going to do it with dignity. He won't let the police offers take that dignity away.