Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Toni Morrison's Jazz is a paradigm case of the complex narrative structure characterized by "echo." The novel follows the tenuous relationship between Joe and Violet that is put into jeopardy by Joe's unfaithfulness and later by clues of reconciliation towards the end of the novel. It is submitted in this paper that the primary causes of their disunited relationship and the hope of reconciliation are to be traced in the dislocation caused by capitalist exploitation and racism. These double pressures guide the characters' behavior and create an "echo" within the narrative, with a long-lasting impact that adds depth to the thematic density of the work.