The Music of Black Love

a VERY short summary:

the major characters in this story are Violet and Joe Trace a middle aged (50ish) married couple with martial problems. Joe trace has a lover, a 18 year old girl named Dorca that he ends up murdering (which is revealed in the first few pages of the story). The book transitions into alternative perspectives of the main scene (Dorca's murder), childhood experiences of the characters, explanations for attitudes and philosophies of the characters, and some random fun and flighty tidbits of Harlem lifestyle in the 1920s.

Key Characters in the story:

Violet Trace
Joe Trace
Dorca
Felice
Malvonne
Alice
Vera Louise
Golden Grey
Hunter's Hunter
True Belle

Unlike the previous literary blog, I will not go into much detail about motifs and themes and such. In the case of this novel there are so many important key points to this book, life lessons, respectable and obtainable views that it would do the messages no justice to try to classify them simple in motifs of my own perspective. One which I do feel the need to discuss.

Elements of maternal trauma-
Out of the key characters listed above, all of them experience some kind of maternal trauma that connects them to one another. Each of these characters lacks something from, or has the absence of some element of maternal nurturing and rearing that has effected them emotionally and is the basic catalyst in their thoughts and actions throughout the novel. The relationship with their mother (or lack thereof) is directly reflected in their relationship with other characters in the novel. Especially when it resounds to the elements of black love.

Why is black love an important aspect of Toni Morrison's writing?

Toni Morrison is a writer that intensely describes feelings of people based on their interactions with themselves, and their interactions with others. She does it in a significantly profound way that elevates beyond any other writer's work that I have read so far (other than of course, Alice Walker :-). Black love is an important theme for black literature because it is the anchor of the existence of black culture, the trends that psychologist claim are remnants of "post-traumatic slave syndrome", or constant battle with family issues, conversations of passion, religion, all these things transition back to the idea of black love and how the adverse effects of broken family units leads to subject matter so intricate and filled with rage, passion, sadness and dedication as Jazz.

What I am trying to say is Toni Morrison brings up two important elements in this text that are striking to me. 1. the dedication of the black woman 2. the deep and resounding yet imperfect love of the black man.

Whether or not these examples of Violet and Joe Trace are accurate or fantastical is not necessary to divulge into, rather the fact that these two black human beings coexist together despite the adversity is a lesson which to me is inspiring. Violet a woman deeply in love is betrayed experiences some moments of "insanity" and decides to stay dedicated to a man, Joe Trace, who has betrayed his wife spent many months with a girl of 18 years old, killed her in a passionate rage and spends many months mourning her death shows a passionate and real (although sometimes unfulfilled loved for his wife Violet). It's realistic, it's crisp, it's accurate.

Neither one of the characters are shielded in a cloak of perfection, and neither one of them are complete villains. Their is a human balance of good and bad...right and wrong...mortal, and the ability for immortality in not only Violet and Joe but all of the characters in the novel. There is potential in the character development, and where Toni Morrison has taken them isn't bad at all.


Stylistic Notes:

What is customary and consistant, in regards to Toni Morrison's work is its expected difficulty and sometimes utter ability to deeply confuse the reader. For anyone else who has read other Toni Morrison works they will notice her combative switch in character perspective, without easily clarivoyant transitions from one perspective to the next. All of these classic Morrison stylistic signitures are evident in this book, but what makes the reader unable to beseech the ability to give up on the complexitioes of speaker and tone, is Morrisons interesting method of using simile and methaphor and her enchanting way of writing explicit and paradoxial imagery.

example of this:

" ...might it have been the moring after the night when craving (which used to be hope) got out of hand? When longing squeezed, then tossed her before running off promising to return and bounce her again like an India-rubber ball? Or was is the chair they y tipped her out of? Did she fall on the floor and lie there deciding right then that she would do it. Someday."

There are simply no words to describe what Morrison imagery makes you feeling, makes you think, and how it influences how you might approach your next poem, piece of prose, creative essay.


Final Thoughts

The intricacies of black relationships never fail to astound and captivate as meaningful subject matter for any budding novelist or poet alike. In particular, the examining of relationships without the exploitation of black pain is an admirable quality of a black writer (exploiting black pain for entertainment purposes is very easy and commonly done i.e. Tyler Perry). Toni Morrison's book Jazz examines intricate relationships in her classic style of combating perspective writing, and this book was indeed a pleasurable transition into a peaceful and sincere harmonic understanding for the elements of black love.




m. m. t