The Narrator of Jazz by Toni Morrison

            The narrator of Toni Morrison’s 1992 novel is notoriously ambiguous, speaking from personal experience and employing “I” intermittently, yet remaining physically and emotionally detached from the events described. There is little private information provided or implied, but through careful analysis, conclusions can be made about the narrator’s identity and significance to the novel. I will argue that the narrator is a black woman and resident of Harlem. She is generally sympathetic in her narration, not making many judgments in herself and remaining so far removed from the story that most of it is essentially read as third-person.

The identity of the narrator can be deducted based on the way in which they approach certain aspects of the story and some distinguishing personal statements. The narrator is a woman of similar background to the main female characters, such as Violet. From the opening line, she claims to “know that woman" [Violet] and “know her husband, too” (Morrison 3). This establishes her as a member of the community, with some sort of undefined relationship with the couple. A few pages later, she states: “I’m crazy about this city” (7), reaffirming her as a loyal resident of the city, which has been established as New York City, the neighborhood of Harlem particularly. The depth of information that she provides in regard to the narrative reveals that she must also maintain a vast network of communication with others—particularly women

Addressing the assertion that the narrator is, in fact, a woman, it must be admitted that there is no explicit declaration or direct implication. However, the tone and approach of the narrator suggest that it is a woman. This is evident in the way that the account is focused on female stories and the black female experience in Harlem. Much of the events in the early chapters are related in some way to hairdressing, which is strongly feminine in the context of the novel. It seems that nearly all of the women in the community have regular hairdressing appointments and this is a routine through which the women exchange information. Violet learns about Dorcas through “the legally licensed beauticians” (5). Despite having “no supervised training, and therefore no license to do it” (13), Violet works as a private hairdresser and this occupation guides a great deal of the plot. The shared female experience of hairdressing is an important motif within the novel and the narrator’s adept understanding of this lends to the argument that she is a woman. Lastly—although most of the characters are female—the men are largely defined and understood through their relationships with women. Even Joe is heavily identified and analyzed based on his romances with Violet and Dorcas and his reputation in the community. Fittingly, he is closely tied to feminity and the women of the city because he sells beauty products. He is described as a “nice, neighborly, everybody knows-him man…he was the sort women ran to when they thought they were being followed” (73). The way in which Joe is characterized, in relation to women, is especially convincing for indicating that the narrative perspective is female. Overall, the story’s emphasis on women and recurring feminine themes strong suggests that the narrator is a woman.

While the use of “I” technically makes the narration first-person, the reality more closely resembles third-person. For example, the long paragraph following the statement “I’m crazy about this city” is intermixed with first-person: “When I look over strips of green grass lining the river…I’m strong” (7). However, because the narrator is not a known character within the story, the “I” serves little purpose except to generate a sense of intimacy; otherwise, the passage is no different than a third-person description. In most moments, the near omniscience of the narrator—such as when she notes that, “privately, Alice admired them” (55)—is just like typical third-person, strongly contrasting the limited perspective of first-person.

The chosen viewpoint is relatively neutral and sympathetic. Being a member of the community herself, the narrator identifies with the characters—or at least aspects of them. She is also able to understand and sympathize with their struggles—the shared hardships of the community. Most notably, the narrator is not extremely condemnatory of Joe Trace’s actions—perhaps knowing that the average reader will criticize him enough. Instead, the thoughts of other characters more harshly disparage him. Alice pondering her niece’s murderer, thinks: “he knew wrong wasn’t right, and did it anyway” (74). Still, the narrator takes time to describe Joe’s childhood and provide the readers with his own perspective on many occasions, demonstrating a personal neutrality or sense of fairness.

The narrator’s position as a member of the community allows her to empathize with the characters, but her absence from the actual events allows her a uniquely neutral perspective separate from emotional attachments and personal feelings. This allows the reader to form their own opinions and make their judgment without direct narrator influence, a refreshing approach.