The Meaning of Symbolism and Imagery in the Writings of Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston uses signism and imaging to capture emotions and guide the subscriber through the theme through the look of the point of references. In her short fiction story, The Gilded Six-Bits, Hurston entertains the emotional and visual senses of the reader by using several symbols and visualizes to give light to the story and character settings.Hurston starts out the story by portraying a couples dealinghip and self-aggrandizing it a sense of security, love and trust. However, as the story develops it is clear that cope matter how true love is greed can falter love.symbolisation is shown strongly through colors in Hurstons story. White is used as a symbol of purity. It portrays the relationship between Joe and Missie whitethorn as a clean and untouched relationship as described by Hurston, The fence in and house were whitewashed. The porch and steps scrubbed white. (252) Joe thinks of the image of his white house on the vogue home from work right before he disco vers Missie may and Slemmons together. Gold is used frequently throughout the short story as a symbol of affable status and greed.Otis D. Slemmons is respected by Joe in the beginning of the story and depicted as being of large(p) importance because of his gold teeth, a five-dollar gold piece for a stickpin and a ten-dollar gold piece on his watch chain. Slemmons character is later disemboweled because he is caught in the act of having sex with Joes wife. The gold symbolizes mistrust, misfortune, greed and falsehood afterward Slemmons, Missie May and the gold are revealed. Silver also symbolizes a social status to all three of the main characters and a personal symbol to Joe and Missy May.It is clear a little over half way through the story that Slemmons was in the same social class as Joe and Missie May because he did not really induct any more(prenominal) money than they did. For Joe and Missie May silver was a symbolof there relationship. It was a ritual in their relationsh ip for Joe to give Missie May the silver dollars all(prenominal) Saturday. The moon is described by Hurston as a silver image on Joes ride home from work, a lean moon rode the lake in a silver boat. If anybody had asked Joe about the moon on the lake, he would have verbalize he hadnt paid it any attention. But he saw it with his feelings. (255) Joe saw the lake with his feelings and he saw the silver moon it is clear that he associated his relationship with his wife with silver.Numbers are also used as symbols to make a statement without actually stating it. Joe and Missie Mays magic tot up is cabaret. This stands for the nine silver dollars that Joe would throw into the house every Saturday. After she and Slemmons were caught together Joe no longer threw the coins into the house on Saturdays. Slemmons is told to have two gold pieces on him in the amounts of five and ten which is the amount of coins that Joe throws into the house at the supplant of the story. Slemmons uses nu mbers in an abstract way to describe people. He associates the number forty with the word forte and Joe doesnt understand what he means by it.Slemmons ironically opens an ice cream shop. Ice cream is a everyday symbol for something that is sweet but cold. Slemmons was seen as sweet and suave as was Missie May until the two got together then Joe viewed them as being cold. garment is another social status symbol. Slemmons is described as someone who wore okay clothes. Later in the story Joe calls them rags. When Joe took Missie May to the ice cream living room he wanted her to wear her Sunday clothes so that he could show her off to Slemmons. He wanted him to see his womanhood since Slemmons negotiation about all of the women that he has. Hurston writes that Joe considered Missie May to be the best spiffed up woman at church, church on Sunday nights when Missie outdressed any woman in town (255) This quote also brings upthe symbol of religion. When Joe asked Missie May to go to t he ice cream parlor for the first time Hurston writes that he tells her, put on yo Sunday-go-to-meetin things. (253) Hurstonwrites in other quotes that refer to images from the Bible. Like fuzz awakening after his haircut. (256) Dont look back lak Lots wife and turn to salt. (257) The resource from these quotes make it know that Joe is a religious man in the story and Hurston herself has a religious background.Laughter is used to portray and hide feelings in Joe. Laughter shows the happiness between Joe and Missie May when they have their playful gamy on Saturdays. Later in the storyHurston writes that Joes laughter is shown as an unsealed feeling when he finds Slemmons with his wife, So he just opened his tattle and laughed. and before bed that night, and took a good laugh and went to bed. (256) At the end of the story Joe was laughing in the store when he turned in the 4-bit piece that he pulled off of Slemmons neck for candy. The clerk states after Joe leaves, Wisht I could be like these darkies. Laughin all the time. Nothin worries em. This was surely not Joes case at all but his character tells otherwise. Hurston also uses laughter as a private symbol in another one of her writings. They make importunate statements with questions, and killing tools out of laughs. (Their Eyes Were reflection God 2) Pearl orchestra pit opened her mouth and laughed real hard because she didnt know what else to do. (Their Eyes Were Watching God 2-3)Hurstons real life is story is a mystery fit to Ann Duciles book review in The New York Times. She has conflicting age and digest date documents due to her habitual lying. although she gave the year of her birth as 1910, quite an than 1891, as scholars have now determined. (The New York Times) Literature and The Writing bring has her birth date listed as 1901. Her birthplace is also not certain. She has said that she was born in Eatonville but it is assumed that she was born in Notasulga, Alaska. Nonetheless, Hurston h as made a mark in the history of writing with her cultural relations and peers. According to The New York Timesarticle there are festivals, foundations, literary societies, endowed chairs, journals, honors and awards in the name of Zora.