Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was completely new to me, and I am glad to have had the chance to read some of her work. “How it Feels to be Colored Me” was a very thought-provoking, although short. It really captured the thoughts and feelings of a young girl/young lady who did not think of herself in terms of color or race until confronted with the views of the rest of the world. Even then, she did not become a victim of the time, she relished her uniqueness. My favorite line was “No, I do not weep at the world— I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.” For those who aren’t quite up on oysters, they require a bit of work to get open, but once inside, you have a yummy, briny treat, and hopefully a pearl. I think she was saying she didn’t have time to cry because she was too busy trying to make something of herself and her life- trying to find the best out of all of it. I think that’s a message we can all appreciate.
In “The Gilded Six-Bits” we see a couple who is happy with what they have, living a simple life. Joe is a hardworking man, and Missie May loves him, but it seems as though he has taught her to expect some sort of money as part of love and affection. Missie May is a simple woman, she loves her husband, but she loved gold more, at least momentarily. Not until after her infidelity did she realize how much she loved her husband. Joe did not leave Missie May, which confused her and made her feel guilty. I think he loved her so much, he was willing to give her time to realize her mistake, and to give himself time to heal. When Joe laughed at catching them together, I got the impression that he found it all rather ironic- the man he had been admiring was with his wife- it was almost like he thought he deserved it somehow, or should have seen it coming and didn’t. Either way, I am glad that they both found a way to work through it all. Love can do that, sometimes, if you want it to badly enough.