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“The Gilded Six-Bits” occurs in the early 1930s on the heels of the Great Depression—approximately 60 after the failure of Reconstruction and about 25 years before the advent of the Civil Rights Movement. It was a time of economic suffering and racial strife as Jim Crow laws and other forms of segregation continued the oppression of Black Americans. Towns like Eatonville, which was founded as a community for Black Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War, represented something close to sanctuaries where Black life could thrive outside of the racist strictures imposed by white American society.

Zora Neale Hurston herself grew up in Eatonville and many of her works of fiction are set there. Hurston’s use of dialect and colloquial language reflect speech patterns common in the Jim Crow-era South and add cultural and historical context to the story. Hurston sought to create stories of Black life that featured authentic and complex characters far removed from common racial stereotypes of the day, particularly those held by white people. In particular, Joe is the antithesis of the offensive tropes of happy slaves and minstrel dancers (which were common well into the 20th century) as he experiences pain and only finds joy again through time and self-reflection.

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