Madsen Hardy has a doctorate in English literature and is a freelance writer and editor. In the following essay, she discusses the significance of gender roles and economic power in "The Gilded Six-Bits."

Hurston begins her 1933 short story "The Gilded Six-Bits" with a scene celebrating the domestic bliss of a newlywed couple. She virtually leads readers by the hand up the path to the modest but cozy house, offering them an intimate glimpse into the couple's marital harmony. As the story opens, Missie May Banks, the young wife, readies the house and herself for her husband's return. Each Saturday the husband, Joe, announces his home coming by rolling nine silver dollars across the just scrubbed threshold. It is the end of his week at the fertilizer plant, and the nine dollars are presumably what is left of his paycheck after he has bought some basic supplies, as...