What are Missie May's motivations for betraying Joe by sleeping with Otis Slemmons? Do you think Joe bears some of the responsibility for her mistake?

"The Gilded Six-Bits" can be understood as an exploration of different ideas of value. What are some of the different kinds of value that an object or person can have other than monetary value? What, in Hurston's view, is most valuable?

Hurston is famous for capturing the richness of African-American oral traditions in her writing. Hurston's characters speak in language that is full of metaphors. Identify as many metaphors as you can find in the quoted speech of the characters in "The Gilded Six-Bits." How do these metaphors relate to the story's larger themes?

Do some research about all-black towns in the United States. Do you think that they are a good idea? How does Hurston's portrayal...