In James Baldwin's short story, Sonny’s Blues, the reader should understand and visualize the historical context in order to understand the world being presented. The reader has to comprehend the harsh life of a male African-American who struggles with his dreams and drug addiction sometime around early 1957. I will discuss Baldwin's writing style, the life/value of an african american's life during this time, and the relationship between Sonny and his brother. Baldwin’s short story illustrates the hardships a person faces while searching for themselves in a world full of people or obstacles that stand in their way. Some of these obstacles are self inflicted, present from the beginning of their existence or appear as though they are random. As Donald C. Murray has said in his article, “James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues’: Complicated and Simple”, “Images of light and darkness are used by Baldwin… ( Murray 354)”. Also, Baldwin is able to tell a story that can make the reader visualize what is happening to this character Sonny, even though it is being narrated through the eyes and perspective of his older brother. He portrays the older brother as someone who can understand and recognizes the internal struggles of Sonny and be compassionate about them, even though the elder brother does not agree with all the life choices his brother has …show more content…
One will constantly face temporary conflict throughout life, but ultimately they can overcome through a will to on and pursue what makes oneself happy. Baldwin was able to create a picture in the reader's mind due to his personal relation to his characters, he was able to understand the harsh times for an African-American male. It also reflects on the care that siblings have for one another and how even though they have good intentions, they can't always help their loved one follow a positive
Marcus Campos English 102 Mrs. Jerien Rausch “What You Do Today, Will Effect You Tomorrow” Sonny’s Blues is the story of the upbringing of a African American child during a time that he was not welcomed, at a place, the Harlem ghetto, where its easier to remain a street smart child. Being, black during this time period I believe that everyone has an untold story. I would argue that in Sonny Blues by James Baldwin poverty, drugs, and living conditions eventually result with doing time in prison . We sympathized with Sonny, being a drug addict, rather than with his brother, the narrator.
James Baldwin : “Sonny's Blues” This character in Baldwin’s story, “Sonny’s Blues”, Sonny himself is having a battle within himself. This man deals with physical and emotional imprisonments occurring in his life making him in a sense free, but then again not. Whereas he deals with physically being locked up in prison and the other hand having his true main goal in a sense on a “hold” or even locked up for now. These prisons for this man are oppressing him from achieving what he really truly desires, he knows and has his goal in his hands, but he’s far from fully grasping onto it.
In the end, he realizes that Sonny always wanted to play music and he wondered what happened during the time they were separated. As he listened to sonny’s music and the way sonny played, it filled in the missing time Sonny’s gone and what his addiction to heroin did to him all those years. He said “Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did. Yet, there was no battle in his face now, I heard what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth” (117). If Baldwin didn’t use family influences to tell the story, we never could conclude the brother ever being able to understand the trials, pain, and how serious heroin addiction was for
In life, one will experience many hardships, but family will always be there to support one throughout the hardships. In the short story “Sonny’s Blue” by James Baldwin, the narrator, who is unnamed, struggles to help his brother, Sonny, with his hardships. Sonny, a recovering drug addict, struggles himself about his place and his purpose. Often times our family is there for us through the hard times, but the narrator’s subjective view may blur his perceptions of situations involving his brother, Sonny.
“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin introduces the reader to an unnamed, very emotionally involved narrator who is “Sonny’s” brother. Although the short story has Sonny’s name in the title, his story is told by his brother from his brother’s own personal point of view. The narrator of “Sonny’s Blues” provides insight about Sonny and their life together growing up in Harlem. The story takes place in the present and the past, often shifting back and forth between the two. It’s a story about family, relationships, and brotherhood.
Fictional writing is usually done just to entertain readers. Authors create stories with a little bit of point of view, while others introduce more complex plots and storylines which is incredible. When it comes to author James Baldwin’s short story Sonny’s Blues, there is more deep meaning given to the storyline and the characters. Sonny’s Blues probably has been analyzed by professors, students, and by many different people throughout time because the story has many elements. An amazing but simple story about a man and his brother that informs and entertains us about their family, drug addiction, socio economic struggles in the Black community, and the language of Jazz music.
Near the beginning of the story, along with flashbacks of the narrator, the reader learns about the Harlem neighborhood in which the narrator and his brother were raised. The unnamed narrator characterizes the individuals on the street as being populated with individuals suffering from poverty, prostitutes, and drug addicts. The narrator felt guilty for returning his ex-heroin addicted brother “back into the danger he had almost died trying to escape” (76). Elise Miller, a Ph.D. and professor, transcribes in her journal about James Baldwin a parallel that connects the use of drugs in “Sonny’s Blues” as well as in James Baldwin early childhood. Miller suggests in her journal, “[Baldwin’s] concerns about being contingent or derivative give rise to a number of psychological and literary innovations”, due to his use of a negative environment (Miller
Sonny’s Blues incorporates racial frustration, self-expression, avoidance, lightness/darkness and symbolic nature of music. Baldwins descriptive mental images gives readers a sense of the time frame the characters are in. With our understanding of the setting we are able to understand how life was like in the 1940s and why the theme of racism plays a factor in these characters lives. Through this short story Baldwin manages to show pain ,and hardships and the journey that is needed to transcend from
In that moment the narrator finally understands Sonny’s love for music. Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” displays the theme of brotherly love to illustrate, that love can keep a family together no matter how many fights or issues there may be. Baldwin demonstrates the theme of brotherly love all through this story. The first example we see of brotherly love is when the two brothers are reunited after not seeing each other for months.
In “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin uses symbols and changes in tone in the perspective of Sonny’s brother to detail how difficult it was growing up in Harlem in the 40’s and 50’s, and how to overcome the negative environment. The story is not told by Sonny because that would promote some bias, and what happens to him is better off being told by a caring family member. Sonny’s struggles can relate to everyone at some time or another, and his growth throughout the story is very motivating to its readers. After Sonny’s brother, the narrator, finds out that Sonny had been arrested for selling and using heroin, his opinions towards his high school students dramatically changed.
In James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” the author uses Sonny’s struggle for a redeemed life to push the narrator toward the realization of his own need for rescue; through this realization, the narrator can find his identity and be free from his sadness. The narrator needs rescue from his guilt of
Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin was a short story about the struggles of living in a tough, rundown neighborhood and looking to drugs as a way out. Baldwin’s intent on writing this piece focuses on pain and suffering. The author stresses that not everybody is born in the best circumstances. Sonny was one of those people who grew up in a rickety town where people often did not make it out successful.
According to Tero Liukkonen, a critic, James Baldwin’s writing is known for his “sexual and personal identity and civil rights struggles in the United States” which is evident in his short story Sonny’s Blues. It presents suffering and survival within the black community and throughout the characters family as well. Sonny’s Blues takes place in Harlem, New York in 1950’s were the Narrator, an unnamed character, as well as his older brother Sonny, tells the story. Characters like the Narrator, Sonny and their mother are strongly impacted by the pain of their families suffering. Throughout the short story, each character understands his/her own suffering and plan to attain a better life.
Throughout one’s life, one tends to adapt to the traditions of their family, and gain a significant bond with their loved ones, including their siblings. However, that connection a person gains can either be diminished or forgotten due to a sense of different mindsets between family members. The two stories “The Rich Brother” by Tobias Wolff and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin indicate that sibling rivalry occurs when each member does not understand or acknowledge their sibling’s perspective, and this builds a wall barrier between the siblings.
In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blue's", music is characterized not only as a source of artistic expression but it also promotes communication between members within the community of Harlem, New York. After being released from prison, the narrator's brother Sonny redeems himself from his past sufferings and current frustrations through music which the narrator cannot fully understand or accept. By the end of the story, Sonny is able to convince his brother of the value that music has in transforming his frustrations into positive changes and developing new relationships. Baldwin underscores the impact that music has on many characters in the story by showing how music is used to overcome barriers, to express feelings and past experiences, and to make connections with their audiences by exposing their vulnerabilities.