Zora Neale Hurston believes that people want to be accepted in society and will do whatever it takes to find someone who wants them and will love them.  In this essay, the author illustrates this idea by telling the story of a young girl who was very desperate to find a lover, and when a young man told her that he would marry her if she spent the night outside on top of her roof, she did.  It so happens that it was extremely cold that night and she froze to death by the time the night was over.  Hurston is poking fun at peoples’ need for company to the point where they are willing to risk their lives for it.  She wants people to understand that true love will come in good time if only they will have the patience to wait for it.  The tone is sadly ironic; when the girl is finally going to get married, she freezes to death and will never get another chance at happiness.  This essay discusses what it means to be a man or a woman, explores the strong human need for love, and asks “is a person alone or a member of society?”