Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
According to Son, the only thing he wants out of life is the first dime he ever earned from a fellow black man. Or in other words, he wishes that he could always have the feeling that he got from earning that first dime. Son, you see, isn't interested in spending his whole life earning his money from white men. For him, white people taint the money they pay because white employers always feel like slave-owners to Son. So when Jade asks him what he wants out of life, he simply answers, "My original dime… The one San Francisco gave me for cleaning a tub of sheephead" (5.277).
Jade, on the other hand, isn't very impressed by Son's lack of ambition. She replies to his dime story by saying, "Just hold your head still and stop making excuses about not having anything. Not even your original dime. It's not romantic. And it's not being free. It's dumb" (5.300). In other words, she thinks that Son is pretending not to want much out of life because he's too lazy to make something of himself. This disagreement about what's more important—ambition or satisfaction—will go on to define their relationship, and will lead to their eventual breakup.