Nichole Duncan Professor EngelEnglish 130223 July 2015 The Gilded Six-Bits The story is told from a third-person limited point of view. This is important because it keeps the suspense alive for the reader. This particular way of telling events keeps the reader at the same level of information as the characters. For example, we find out that Missie Mae has been unfaithful at the same time that her husband surprises her and finds out. a short story written in 1933 by Zora Neale Hurston, is a story about forgiveness. The story is set in the small African-American town of Eatonville, Florida in the early 1930s. It is a complex story of love, desire, indiscretion, anger, fear, uncertainty, disappointment, loss, need, reconciliation and, finally, acceptance. His primary fate is limited, as Hurston makes clear in his opening reference to the couple's life in a predominantly black town whose economy is driven by Joe's employer, the local fertilizer company. However, the couple's economic situation does not prevent Joe from indulging in playful behavior such as throwing half dollars at his wife, suggests an analysis from the University of South Florida. This quality allows Joe to forgive Missie May for walking away, which which Hurston makes doubly ironic by waiting until the last line to reveal his last name. Missie May Banks The character of Missie May is among the most complex in "The Gilded Six-Bits," the writing of which followed the breakup of Hurston's rocky first marriage in 1931 (which ended after just four years, the film's website notes university). Missie May's claims that Slemmons' jewelry looked better on Joe are belied by her own ambivalence about staying. in marriage. This feeling is consistent with the story's main theme, which is that appearances are not what they seem, Gorman says. However, the realization of Slemmons' falsehood is enough to send Missie May back to her faithful husband. Otis D.