. ▁The ▁book ' s ▁final ▁narr ator ▁is ▁widely ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁Mor r ison ▁or ▁perhaps ▁the ▁book ▁itself . ▁ ▁Leg acy ▁Jazz ▁was ▁Mor r ison ’ s ▁most ▁recently ▁published ▁work ▁when ▁she ▁was ▁awarded ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 3 ▁Nobel ▁Prize ▁for ▁Liter ature . ▁In ▁the ▁novel , ▁" M orr ison ▁uses ▁a ▁device ▁which ▁is ▁a kin ▁to ▁the ▁way ▁jazz ▁itself ▁is ▁played …   the ▁result ▁is ▁a ▁rich ly ▁complex , ▁sens u ously ▁convey ed ▁image ▁of ▁the ▁events , ▁the ▁characters ▁and ▁m ood s ." ▁ ▁Char acters ▁ ▁Joe ▁Trace , ▁a ▁door - to - door ▁cos met ics ▁sales man ▁and ▁the ▁murder er ▁of ▁his ▁young ▁lo ver . ▁ ▁V io let ▁Trace , ▁an ▁un lic ensed ▁beaut ician . ▁V io let ▁is ▁married ▁to ▁Joe . ▁She ▁is ▁nick named ▁" V i ol ent " ▁because ▁she ▁assault ed ▁the ▁cor pse ▁of ▁Joe ’ s ▁lo ver ▁with ▁a ▁kn ife ▁at ▁the ▁fun eral . ▁ ▁Dor cas , ▁Joe ' s ▁young ▁lo ver , ▁who ▁is ▁shot ▁down ▁at ▁a ▁party . ▁Dor cas ▁is ▁inspired ▁by ▁a ▁picture ▁from ▁The ▁Har lem ▁Book ▁of ▁the ▁Dead ▁( a ▁collection ▁of ▁fun eral ▁photograph s ▁by ▁James ▁Van ▁Der ▁Ze e ). ▁ ▁Alice ▁Man fred , ▁Dor cas ' ▁a unt ▁and ▁guard ian . ▁A ▁conserv ative ▁Christian ▁ash amed ▁by ▁her