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Reconciliation In Sonny's Blues

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Sonny’s Blue’s In the short story, Sonny’s Blues, there is a troubled relationship between Sonny and his brother, the narrator. Sonny, a recovering drug addict, who has just been released from jail, and completely disowned by his family, has hit rock bottom. The narrator, on the other hand, is quite successful. He has a steady job as a teacher, a wife and two sons, all things he is proud of. Their brotherly relationship becomes tested after the death of the narrator’s daughter, Grace. Caitlin Stone, a student at California State University Bakersfield, did a literally critique on how symbolic the death of grace was to the brothers. I agree, that the death of the narrator’s daughter, Grace, reveals a symbolic, paradoxical elements of the narrative that underlie it and serve to illuminate the tension and eventual reconciliation between …show more content…

The thought of his brother trying to pursue a career of being a pianist just didn’t settle right with the narrator. Towards the end of the story, Sonny was able to show his brother what he was truly passionate about. As he played the piano, Sonny graced the narrator with the true beauty of who he was as a person. The narrator was able to describe in great detail how moved he was by Sonny’s music. The narrator stated, “I seemed to hear with what burning he had made it his, with what burning we had yet to make it ours, how we could cease lamenting” (Baldwin 382). This was only the beginning of what the narrator felt as Sonny played. He discussed how he could feel Sonny’s pain and struggle through every note he hit. He described the things he saw, such as their deceased parents, Grace, and just about every important event in his life flashed before his eyes. Sonny casted a spell over his brother with just the notes from his music playing. That very moment was something so special for both the brothers that they will cherish

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