Jazz Violence Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #10

"He's here. Oh, look. God. He's crying. Am I falling? Why am I falling? (8.15)

Yikes, this one hurts. We get Dorcas's point-of-view of getting shot, and it's confused and upsetting. She's just dancing with sleazeball Acton, and then her fifty-year-old former lover shoots her. Not pretty, guys.

Quote #11

"I read about white policemen who were arrested for killing some Negroes and said I was glad they were arrested, that it was about time. He looked at me and shouted 'The story hit the papers because it was news, girl, news!'" (9.10)

Poor Felice. She's trying to bond with her Dad over current events and gets a horrific dose of reality when he tells her that, um, most policeman that kill black people get away with it, circa 1926. Are you as furious as we are right now?

Quote #12

"Dorcas let herself die. The bullet went in her shoulder, this way. […] She bled to death all through the woman's bed sheets on into the mattress." (9.46)

Sometimes Felice isn't the best friend. It's true that Dorcas bled to death at what sounds like a raging party with awesome music (worse places to die, right?) but it's kind of hard to stop yourself from bleeding to death. Just another quote that proves that, when you're surrounded by senseless death and dying you get a little too used to it.