Hard Life In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

Jonathan Armstead
ENGL 364 6380
September 27, 2015

Essay 2

In this paper I will be supporting an argument about how the short story “Sonny's Blues” by James Baldwin paints a theme in the reader's mind about how people used different ways to escape life in the ghetto. It is obvious that Sonny uses music and drugs as his escape from a hard life, while his brother tries to “assimilate” into society by becoming a middle-class worker in education. Even though this story has a lot of themes and symbolism, I chose this theme because I can easily relate to it in this present age where drugs are still a major problem in this country and there are many people who share Sonny's escape from a hard life. My argument is how the short

For Baldwin, the blues are not a specific genre of music, but rather something more universal. The narrator explains that the blues are "the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph" (Baldwin p.139). Given this definition, the story "Sonny's Blues" is a blues piece in itself because it begins with the suffering of two brothers, follows their growing sense of communion, and ends with the triumph of brotherly love over suffering. The narrator admits that this formula isn't new, but claims that "it's the only light we've got in all this darkness" (Baldwin p.139). The story “Sonny's Blues" is an attempt, much like Sonny's actual music, to relate with its audience and, through understanding and compassion, to relieve suffering. Baldwin is not playing, but writing the blues. This is why I chose this work by Baldwin, because it is indeed a beautiful work of art about suffering and redemption. Sonny also comments on "how much suffering [the revival singer] must have had to go through" (Baldwin p.139) in order to sing so beautifully, Sonny understands this, he must know that his suffering and his passion for music must make his work beautiful