Storyville
Bolden's character is dragged across the coals in this narrative, and if the reader wants to know why, the author has hidden an answer in the setting. Bolden's fate is lodged in the middle of "Storyville," which means that the events of the book are designed as artistically creative ways of exposing a certain character. Bolden's character is defined by his extremely acute internal sensitivities; he is constantly in touch with his instincts which help him to cut hair skillfully and to improvise on jazz trumpet. The arc takes the reader through the various levels of his intimate psychology.
The hustler
The first manifestation of the character is as a hustler. He works several jobs to provide for a wife who resents his absense and cheats on him. This breaks him out of his roles in the community, but throughout the book, he continues to work hard. He is defined by his work ethic, because after he has already succumbed to madness later in the book, he still continues working as a barber. His musical career is also evidence of his work ethic, because for those who may not know, trumpet is a difficult instrument to play, especially if one intends to play innovative and instinctual jazz solos.
Prostitution and art
A side story in the novel raises a highly common literary motif; the comparison of art to prostitution. The question shows up in millions of art appreciation classes, and it appears in this book. Is art prostitution? Another way of rephrasing that question might be: Does one have to undress one's self to create true art? In that case, accepting money for an intimate and personal experience of someone's "naked self," does have sexual overtones. Bellocq lands firmly against the comparison and kills himself to prove his sincere aversion to accusations against his sexuality.
The fall into insanity
Bolden's later incarnation is as a madman. One can view this through the lens of overexposure; throughout the book, this character is being raked across the coals of fate, and as he struggles, he comes in tune with a subtle experience of his own psychology. After a while, it becomes nearly impossible for him to believe in the reality of his own experience; his fascination with his own instincts has taken him into the archetypal domain of schizophrenic breakdown. The archetypal decline into madness is a comment on his personal revelation. Ironically, the madness is a symbol for true experience.
The absent funeral
The fate that Bolden is asked to accept is a life so full of meaning and data that his psychology eventually erodes as he ages, tired from years of deep observations of his own instincts. As a jazz musician, he is defined by his being "in tune" with the forces of the universe. His funeral is the ultimate symbol of him being finally in tune with the universe, because he has landed on the tonic note of his existence—non-existence. His death is harmonious even without anyone there to observe it. The death is a patient and intimate way of addressing the reader, because only the reader attends the funeral; only the reader hears the finale of this musical life.
