Sonny’s Blue written by author James Baldwin is a story about a man and his younger heroin addict brother. James Baldwin is best known for his works in African American literature, urban literature, and gay literature. This was an amazing feat due to the period that he was creating his novels in. He was also a prominent figure in both the civil right movement and the gay right movements here in the United States. In his novels you will see a heavy influence of the things he believes in and struggles with like family members struggling with addiction, being African American, and being queer. The title Sonny’s Blue is a reference to the younger brother who wishes to be a jazz musician which during that time the genre was referred to as “blues.” …show more content…
This is being used to symbolize the difficult position that Sonny is being placed in. The cup is a religious reference that is also used in the bible. In the bible the cup is used to describe the fear that the people are being plagued with. Baldwin's use of the cup of trembling as a symbol is less overt than the biblical passage's promise of deliverance from that suffering. The novel reads “he sipped from it and looked toward me and nodded … the very cup of trembling” (Baldwin, Page 33). Sonny's drinking of the cup of trembling serves as a reminder of all the pain he has gone through which presents the opportunity for happiness and peace. The religious symbol connects to Sonny, using music to channel his pain into something lovely. This cup shows his want for more and his want to be stable after coming from an unstable