The Characters' Conformation to Social Restrictions in the stories The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurtson and The Waltz, by Dorothy Parker.

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American Literature of the 20th Century, 4.287

Wednesday, July 30, 2003        

                        The Characters’ Conformation to Social Restrictions

In the stories The Gilded Six-Bits by Zora Neale Hurtson and The Waltz, by Dorothy Parker, the main characters find themselves acting under the tight social constraints that society projects on them. Their gender, race and class all dictate how they see themselves and how others see them, and therefore how they must act. Missie May, Joe and the narrator of The Waltz are all puppets to convention, although not always conscious of it.  Through this essay I will demonstrate the social restrictions and rules that existed for people of color and women in the early 1900s, with evidence from the text.

        The Gilded Six-Bits is a moving story of frustration and greed.  In the home of a poor young black couple in the southern states is where our scene takes place. As we find out, Missie May is an attractive black newly married homemaker who takes pride in her husband’s hard work and in her own work around the house. Her husband who works at a fertilizer company adores her, and puts her on a pedestal and yet expects her to stay in her role as a subservient homemaker.

        As is demonstrated in the story, Missie May struggles with her social restrictions and expectations. Firstly, the color of her skin decrees of what class she is. She is of color, meaning she is lower than even the lowest white folk and also dictates what part of town she must live, at what level she must marry,  and where she is to work, but most importantly, it defines how other (white) people treat her.  

Not only is Missie May black, but also a woman.  This puts her at a double disadvantage, since even white women were still struggling to be recognized as valued human beings at this time. White women were just achieving the vote and had just finished proving to the world that they were valuable commodities, during the First World War, when they were made to do men’s jobs to keep society going. Opinion of women at this time is very low. Women’s main role was still to marry and have children.

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In The Gilded Six -Bits, the first example of role playing is during Missie and Joe’s little game. Every Saturday Joe throws silver dollars onto the floor where Missie stands, and then she must catch him and go through his pockets to find the coveted candy kisses.  This is a fun routine they go through every week when Joe is paid, and both parties look forward to it.  Missie May goes through the motions of the game: “Nobody ain’t gointer be chunkin’ money at me and Ah not do ’em nothin’,” she shouted in mock anger.”  (p. 1439)  Hence, the ...

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