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Sonny's Blues Theme

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"Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin is a harrowing tale about a boy's struggle to overcome his drug addiction. The central plot isn't the most relatable topic but Baldwin expands the plot by touching up on different themes that further explicates the story to the point where any reader can find a way to relate to the characters. The story is told from the first point of view of the brother of Sonny. The narrator states his account from the commencement of Sonny's drug use to his fall out. James Baldwin does not focus only on the central theme of drug abuse. The author made the story more engaging to different readers by using different themes such as sibling relationships, effects of racism and power of music. To begin with, Baldwin uses the …show more content…

The late, James Baldwin, was a prominent activists whose work usually included effect institutional racism has on African Americans. For instance, he wrote about the housing discrimination policy and its effect on Sony and his family. It gave his family any alternative but to live in the projects in New York City (Baldwin 6). Anyone whose dealt with living in troubling neighborhood can identify with Sonny's animosity towards life. In particular, Sonny felt hopeless and trapped because of what he saw and experienced living the projects. The raw honesty of his feelings further draws in the audience. Also, there is even specific a part in the story where the narrator's mother rehashes the story of how her husband lost his brother due to racism. "They was all drunk, and when they seen your father's brother they let out a great whoop and holler and they aimed the car straight at him" (Baldwin 9). The mother struggles with her words as she tells her son how a group of drunken white men purposely runs over her brother in law. This helps the reader sympathize with those who have to deal with racism on a daily basis. As can be seen, Baldwin flawlessly expands the central theme to the point where different readers can relate or empathize with those who face the effects of

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