Content Warning: This section references violence, death, police brutality, and systemic racism.

This motif is threaded through the novel in a direct and explicit way. It is one of Walt/Swing’s main passions, and listening to it inspires him to pursue his other passions (baseball and finding a girlfriend), developing the theme of Perseverance in the Pursuit of Passions. Jazz is a uniquely American musical genre, growing out of and touching on complex issues including slavery, racial identity, “high” versus “low” artforms, social cohesion, and individual expression—ideas that the novel explores in subtle but significant ways. Jazz is unique in that it relies heavily on improvisation, rather than requiring the musician to adhere to scored music: Because of this, a jazz tune changes with each playing. The improvisational nature of jazz symbolizes the approach Noah must take to his friendship with Sam. As he gradually decides to reveal his romantic feelings for her, he must learn to give up a tight sense of control and trust that the relationship will take him to the right place. Tellingly, Noah at first finds it difficult to understand or appreciate jazz. As he learns to relax into a new

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