Being female herself, she is naturally well aware of the psyche, psychological habits growth, the working operations of mind, ways and manners of life of the women of her society.Īs a result, she presents the depiction of her female characters through their occurring changes in their views, ideas and ways of life due to the influence of the changes occurring in the society (city). She proceeds to riff on the basic story like a jazz quintet, adding layers of meaning and transforming the tale into one of transcendent love set against the somber backdrop of violence in Harlem and the vibrant sounds of prohibition-era jazz music.The presentation or participation of The Female Characters in Morrison’s literary writings, we come to know that she, being a female novelist, treats with her female characters in a very unique but superb way “Jazz” is one of them. Morrison provides a synopsis of the plot in the novel's first five sentences. The novel is based on a photograph taken at the funeral of a beautiful young girl in Harlem who refused to implicate her murderous lover. Many events over three generations contribute to the reader's understanding of the tragic story.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Violet and Joe each confront their motherless past, their childless present, and develop a friendship with Dorcas's best friend, Felice. During long sleepless nights, Violet and Joe take turns going in the parlor and staring at the dead girl's photo. Alice Manfred even lends Violet an unsmiling photograph of Dorcas, which she takes home and puts on the couple's mantle.

The two women develop a strange, uneasy friendship. She begins to write notes to Dorcas's aunt, Alice Manfred, and then visits her. Instead, she decides to fall in love with, or at least learn more about, Dorcas.

When that fails to move Joe, she decides to fall in love with him all over, but she is unable to bring herself to do more than fix his meals and iron his handkerchiefs. She has only managed to nick Dorcas under the ear.Ĭrazy Violet has a brief affair with another man. Violet is strong, but finally the ushers wrestle her to the floor.

Joe's wife Violet, reputed to be a crazy woman, goes to the funeral with a knife and attempts to disfigure the face of the beautiful girl in her casket. Dorcas refuses to implicate Joe, declining medical assistance and telling everyone who asks about the shooter, 'I'll tell you tomorrow.' When Dorcas leaves Joe for a younger man, he tracks her down at a party and shoots her. Jazz is the story of a love affair between Joe Trace, a fifty-year-old married waiter and part-time cosmetics salesman, and Dorcas, a seventeen-year-old girl.

Jazz novel by toni morrison