The popular interpretation of this story by Zora Neale Hurston is that two young newlyweds (Joe and Missie May) have what appears to be a perfect marriage until a boastful newcomer from Chicago (Otis) opens an ice-cream parlor in their small Southern town. The couple’s playful, passionate bliss is shattered when Otis, who appears wealthy and sophisticated, seduces Missie May in exchange for promises of gold. In most short stories, this would lead to a tragic ending. Not here! The couple come out of it seemingly happier than ever. Themes: poverty, love, deception (appearances vs. reality), temptation, betrayal, guilt, forgiveness.
An alternative interpretation is that the story carries a strong feminist message, with both men seeking to dominate and “possess” Missie May. Joe’s weekly ritual of “chunking” his wages at the door for his wife to pick up and place on the kitchen table next to her plate could be seen as similar to Otis’s trying to buy her with gold; his patronizing game of having her search his pockets for candy suggests treating her like a child; his leaving the gilded coin under her pillow when they return to lovemaking likens her to a prostitute. The final “chunking” after Joe becomes satisfied that the child is his implies a return to the status quo with one exception. She is not only “his” again but, thanks to the child, has nowhere else to go. Additional themes: gender roles, imbalance of power.
Original Text / PDF (4,650 words)
Video Version
This 2001 TV version of the story directed by Booker T. Mattison is a quite accurate re-telling of the original text. Watch and enjoy!