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Self Identity In Toni Morrison's Jazz

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In Jazz by Toni Morrison, one can find the novel peppered with a scattered, and sometimes confusing, web of relationships and family ties. Family relationships and romantic relationships are so vital to one’s self-concept, and have a strong hold over one’s anger. The search for self identity of Joe Trace, Violet and almost every main character can be traced back to the systematic absentee of the African American family in this story.
Why do relationships, between parents and children, lovers, friends, and even strangers have such a big impact on who we are as people? Why are the people closest to you, the ones that eventually shape your attitudes, emotions, anger, viewpoints and relationships? You could flip to random page and find a character …show more content…

Rose committed suicide followed quickly by the father leaving town again. The questioning of why her mother would kill herself definitely left an effect on Violet. She will always walk around with her future being changed by her parents because her fathers, “forgetfulness fell like pollen… but for Violet the pollen never blotted out Rose (pg. 100)”. Once again, a broken relationship helps a character find comfort in the arms of another (Joe Trace) to find some fulfillment. The relationship between her and her husband was also broken which leads her to her thoughts. The rejection of commitment to a marriage builds up in Violet and the narrator even sides with her. The narrator on page 9 takes on Violet’s perspective of closing off on herself. The narrator admits that like Violet, she too would close off from everyone if their, “partner overstays at another appointment, or promises to give you exclusive attention after super, but is falling asleep just as you have begun to speak (pg. 9)”. The brokenness starts to shift Violet. While anger does overcome her and she attacks the dead corpse, Violet also retreats and becomes almost passive around the house. She cleans, does chores and does hairdressing constantly to distract her from thoughts about her situation of why Joe cheated. She distracts herself because within an, “idle moment, is the seep of rage (pg. 16)”. Violent Violet is the perfect embodiment that relationships and family have such an impact on one’s emotions influencing

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