The Gilded Six-Bits

Allusions—such as references to well-known figures, events, and works of literature—appear in several places in “The Gilded Six-Bits,” including a reference to Lot’s wife and a comparison of Joe to Sampson when he discovers Slemmons in his bed. The references provide added context for a reader familiar with the Bible (as most of Hurston’s contemporary readers would have been). For example, when Joe tells Missie May to stop crying the morning after he finds her in bed with Slemmons, he tells her, “Missie May, you cry too much. Don’t look back lak Lot’s wife and turn to salt” (93). The reference is to Lot and his family fleeing Sodom, when his wife turned to look at the destruction of the city; for violating the angels’ orders, she was transformed into a pillar of salt. In keeping with his firm but kind nature, Joe both evokes and softens this ominous story of female disobedience. The danger is that Missie May will turn herself to salt (via the salt of her tears) by fruitlessly “looking back” on an action she can’t change.

One of the most significant allusions occurs earlier in the story and describes the sun rising as Joe returns from work, likening its reflection on the water to a “flaming sword.