The Gilded Six-Bits Poverty (Class) Quotes

Do the clothes really make the man? Joe sure seems to think so, but when we find out that Slemmons is a fraud and that he doesn't really have as much money as he says he does, we're jolted. All along, Joe has Missie May and they have a good life together. Sure, he doesn't have the clothes or the gold teeth, but by the end of the story, we (along with Joe and Missie) realize that none of those material things matter.

This observation Joe makes about Slemmons is straightforward but full of complexities. What he's saying is the more you eat, the more money you have to spend…which means you're that much closer to being like a 'rich white man.' Not only does Hurston touch on class with this quote but also the complexities of race. In an age of Photoshopped models and "thin is in," it's funny to imagine that not too long ago, being out of shape was more desirable. 

After all the talk about money, Missie gets the idea that Joe is lacking. She thinks that if she finds them some money he might be happier and more satisfied. It's a nice thought, her wanting to make him happy, but the way she goes about getting that money is not the wisest of moves.