The Subaltern and Racism in Toni Morrison’s Jazz: A Study

Abstract

The present research paper studies the treatment of the subaltern and issues of racism in Toni Morrison’s Jazz. It goes into various categories of the subaltern as the various forms of subalternity, the novelist depicts in her novel. This paper explores the conditions that determine the status and situations of each form and category of the subalternity and racism portrayed in the novel. The subaltern and racism in the novel is all about the Afro - Americans who suffer pangs of being African by origin and American by virtue of living. Moreover, there are categories of the subaltern within Afro - American community and those who are not blacks. The novel portrays how Afro - American women, under the white duress, suffer at different levels. It is also a product of slavery, segregation, poverty, and deprive of a franchise.