A Comparison Of Family In Sonny's Blues And I Stand Here Ironing

Many families bicker with each other, and there is a lot of strife in one’s experience from being a part of a family. But it is less common to have a conflict that keeps members from commutating and leaves them bitter. “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin and “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Oslen are short stories that depict the difficulty a family can face trying to survive below the poverty line. The circumstances that causes their struggle varies and the manner in which they pursue resolution varies as well. The dynamics of family for both short stories are very similar in that both narrators have conflict with the character for which they are responsible and care for. In an article by Suzie Goldman a “Message in Music” this feeling of responsibility the narrator feels for Sonny is expressed as such “The narrator is awkward here, wanting only to hear that Sonny is safe and refusing to accept the fact he might not be, he is still unwilling to see Sonny’s terms; like an overly anxious parent he must conform to his own concept of respectability.” In this statement it clearly acknowledges that Sonny feels responsible for Sonny and his well-being given that this role force upon him by their mother. I stand here Ironing the narrator the mother is reflecting on raising her first child Emily a girl who is under develop and is a social outcast . In the article by Johanne Frye the

One must also acknowledge how the narrators feel the weight of the burden they feel they must bare to support their families. Both narrators do not want to except their part in Sonny’s and Emily’s struggles and claim to have no power in the matter. Understanding these key point is essential to further understanding of these