Theme Of Incarceration In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

James Baldwin experienced two decades of successful writings in the mid-twentieth century, a time when racial tensions were high in the United States. Born in Harlem, Baldwin lived and adapted to the world of social and racial unrest; though most of us cannot understand these times, Baldwin shared through his writings the hardships many families endured. Baldwin reflects on this difficult time by writing a story titled “Sonny’s Blues”. This story is about two black brothers who are tormented with daily life and struggle to overcome the hopeless confines of the city.

The short story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin is about a young man whom is struggling in life. The narrator, who is unnamed throughout the story, and Sonny’s older brother tells the readers in depth about his brothers battle. In the late 1900s during poverty and systematic oppression, many African Americans were subjected to one specific area in modern day known as Harlem. Not only is story about discrimination African Americans faced, it is about two brothers gaining a better understanding on each others lives. Baldwin demonstrates that acceptance over a family member’s decisions can strengthen the bond between two estranged brothers.

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.

The death of the narrator’s daughter, Grace is a central part of the story because thereafter the narrator stays in contact with Sonny which was a pivotal point for the narrator of coming to the realization he needs Sonny as his brother. To begin, the narrator wrote Sonny in hopes of having someone who understood pain and darkness as the narrator felt in the wake of his daughter’s death. For instance, the author writes this seemingly short yet powerful sentence, “My trouble made his real.”(110) . At the core of this quote, the narrator uses the word “trouble” in describing the pain

The story Sonny 's Blues by James Baldwin (1957) investigates the topic of affliction experienced by Black Americans as people shackled by segregation, joblessness, lodging issues, tranquilize dependence, detainment and suicide. It includes the battle of two siblings isolated and got in the traps of time, space and beliefs. The anonymous Narrator who is moderately fortunate between the two kin battles to comprehend his self-destructive yet gifted sibling Sonny while the last discovers trouble in adapting up to the remarkableness that inundates him. Viable correspondence is vital in the tale of two siblings with various dreams in life where fierceness and anger may detonate at split seconds to put a conclusion to one dear existence of a wonder.

Rhythm of the Soul “Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't” (Depp). In some cases, music can convey people’s emotions, feelings, and thoughts stronger than words can. In James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, the narrator and his younger brother Sonny struggle with a communication barrier. Sonny can express his emotions by the language of music that his older brother, the narrator, has a difficult time understanding. The narrator, who is a stable school teacher, has a hard time relating to his younger brother and the other kids from their neighborhood, who became heroin addicts.

This is portrayed through language and content. The poem is written to the tune of the Blues song which initiates a sense of melancholy. The purpose of both pieces of text is to inform people about the abuse of human rights and the suffering of all refugees and Jews. The pieces are aimed for German Jews, Refugees, historians: to know what happened during this time

Sonny’s Blues, written by James Baldwin, is a story about the opposite lives of a troubled inner-city black teenager who struggles with addiction and the missing relationship with his brother. In the opening paragraphs it is apparent the brothers do not have a close relationship as the narrator says “He became real to me again” (Baldwin) as if Sonny is only an imaginative or elusive figure. While Sonny has a real and apparent addiction to heroin, for which he was incarcerated our narrator also struggles with an emotional imprisonment of his own. What can break the ice between our two characters and reunite the brotherly love which was lost so long ago? Imprisonment is a common theme throughout the story and we soon realize Sonny has been arrested and will be sent to prison.

In fiction, the narrator controls how the audience connects to and perceives the various characters in a story. A good author can manipulate the narration to connect the audience to certain characters and deepen the reader’s understanding of their conflicts. In “Previous Condition” and “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin illustrates themes of loneliness and isolation in the pursuit of finding a space that feels like home. Although this theme is clear in both stories, Baldwin is able to portray it very differently in each story through the relationship he allows the reader to the characters struggling with these feelings. While “Previous Condition” provides a more intimate relationship to the narrator, “Sonny’s Blues” is able to deliver an additional level of understanding by telling the story through Sonny’s brother, therefore disconnecting the reader in a way that forces him or her to share the characters’ feelings of isolation and confusion.

(European Graduate School) In Sonny’s Blues Baldwin shows both his influence of from Black people and drug addiction to the loneliness that situations create and how isolation occurs during troubling times. Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin is a story of struggle and redemption through others. James Baldwin uses the narrator the story from a first person point of view which leads to a sense of disorientation in the reader and contributes to the stories theme of forgiveness.

Few characters in literature are as timeless and meaningful as the character of Huckleberry Finn. Huck’s inner conflict is symbolic of the conflict of society as a whole, and has been for over a hundred years. Huck’s mind was being torn by two projects, but he was able to overcome this conflict and recognize right from wrong. Huck’s conflict illuminates the novel’s message, allowing readers to grasp their own meaning of right and

Everyone has expectations of people; it is human nature. These expectations can be beneficial and push us to accomplish amazing things, like being kind to other people. Some expectations, however, can make people feel inferior and unimportant, leading to consequential decisions throughout life. These expectations stem from homes and communities, like the neighborhood Sonny and his brother grew up in in James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”. Living in Harlem forced Sonny and his brother to grow up much faster than most people do and exposed them to many harsh realities, making it the true antagonist of the story.

“I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am, also, much more than that. So are we all (Notes of A Native Son Quotes).” All authors, artists and musicians have a story to tell, they express themselves through their work, and this quote briefly summarizes what makes James Baldwin’s work so unique. Through the cultural context of his work, readers get to see a glimpse of what was really endured during the 1950’s and how history shaped the world for today. Using the work of other fellow writers, Baldwin summarizes their work and uses literary elements to paint a bigger picture.

Sonny's Blues was written in 1957, 37 years after the roaring twenties had come to an end. Long after the great Migration, where millions of blacks moved to northern cities to escape Jim Crow, and embrace the new found possibilities offered. During this period African-Americans in New York, collectively gathered in Harlem mainly, it was usually alluded to as the black capital. There blacks shared culturally and also, influenced music greatly. This is also where the "new negro" persona was crafted, blacks were no longer going to be referred to as someone's mammies or boy.