Character Clues
Character Analysis
Thoughts and Opinions
Most of the characters in the story are defined by their thoughts and opinions on money—especially Joe. When Slemmons comes into town, he can't stop talking about his clothes, gold teeth, and the heaps of women hanging all over him. At first Missie contradicts those thoughts and opinions, telling Joe that he's being crazy for admiring a fat, ugly outsider who's probably lying about everything he has anyway…but we know that's all about to change.
Missie's thoughts and opinions on money are initially contradictory to Joe's—she doesn't think money's a big deal and she's happy with what and who she's got. Yet, the more Joe talks and the more she sees with her own eyes the impressive figure of Slemmons, her ideas about all things green and gold begin to change, ultimately leading her to commit adultery.
Physical Appearance
When we first meet Missie, she is described in terms of how her naked body appears as she's bathing:
Her dark-brown skin glistened under the soapsuds that skittered down from her washrag. Her stiff young breasts thrust forward aggressively, like broad-based cones with the tips lacquered in black. (4)
This represents her youthfulness, sexuality and hints at her promiscuity. Joe is big and tall and according to Missie:
"God took pattern after a pine tree and built you noble. Youse a pritty man […]." (42)
Slemmons, on the other hand, is all glitz and glamour, covered in (fake) gold and with a big gut.
Black Vernacular (Upper Class and Lower Class)
As with many of Hurston's short stories, the black vernacular is the standard. In "The Gilded Six-Bits," how a character talks not only shows their race, but also their class level. Joe and Missie speak to each other with slang, jokes, and metaphors, which creates lively dialogue.
When Joe's hungry, for example he says:
"Ah could eat up camp meetin', back off 'ssociation, and drink Jurdan dry. Have it on de table when Ah git out de tub." (22)
The black vernacular adds another layer to the story and helps us understand what a normal couple talks about and how they say it.
Standard English/Northern English
Now, when Slemmons comes into town he changes the language game, as explained by Joe:
"Didn't Ah say ole Otis was swell? Can't he talk Chicago talk? Wuzn't dat funny whut he said when great big fat ole Ida Armstrong come in? He asted me, 'Who is dat broad wid de forte shake?' Dat's a new word." (56)
Because Slemmons speaks differently than southern folk, he's automatically seen as more sophisticated. The only other person we see using language other than black vernacular is the white clerk in Orlando, where Joe buys candy kisses for Missie and his son.