For now he must retreat to the kitchen, laughing to keep from crying at the hurt. Laughter is once again the only emotional outlet. Laughter has become a defense mechanism against the hurt of rejection. The dream that one day the white people will realize their mistakes and the black people will no longer have to laugh in the face of oppression becomes the motivating factor for overcoming adversity. Laughter helps us deal with our pain and gives us the strength to move forward and triumph in the face of adversity.
Laughter also functions with a double meaning in Jazz music.
He begins this poem by describing jazz as music for all social classes and professions and ends it by commenting on its universal language and ability to bring people together in spite of their differences. The heart of the poem lies in these two lines and yet if read too quickly one might miss the significance of these lines. The seemingly happy music that strikes a universal cord is shadowed by the oppression faced by black people. The paradoxical laughter seen in many of Hughes's poems plays the same role in jazz music. Laughter was the only way black Americans could deal with their frustrations and because of this the laughter became much more than a joyful expression.