Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay
Regina Carbone
Dr. Jessica Datema
WRT – 201 – 089WB
October 20, 2014
The Darkness In Between “Sonny’s Blues” “Sonny’s Blues” is a short story, written by James Baldwin, about two brothers from Harlem, NY. The story is told in the first person perspective by one brother about is younger brother, Sonny. The narrator, who remains unnamed throughout the story, is Sonny’s older brother and no other siblings are mentioned, so it is safe to assume it is only the two of them. The narrator remains unnamed simply because his name is not relevant. The story is told by him, from his perspective, however, it does not matter who he is exactly. The narrator is a representation of the few black men in that time that were able to overcome the effects of …show more content…
From the narrator’s mother sharing the story about his late uncle, to the devastation from losing their parents, to the amount of care the narrator has toward Sonny’s wellbeing, there is a constant theme of family. After the death of their father, the narrator’s mother tells him, “’You got to hold on to your brother,’ she said, ‘and don’t let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him. You going to be evil with him many a time. But don’t you forget what I told you, you hear?’” (Beiderwell, Wheeler 395). Their mother made it clear to the narrator that he is to look after his brother, which is exactly what he did. Although Sonny ended up in jail and/or rehab, his brother was there for him when he got out, took him into his home, and supported him when he asked him to come what him play the piano in a blues …show more content…
After the death of both their parents Sonny was living with Isabel and her parents while the narrator was fighting in the war. Isabel described Sonny living with her and her parents as “it was like living with sound” (Beiderwell, Wheeler 399). This was because Sonny spent all his time sitting at their piano trying to find his voice, trying to communicate what was going on in his life while at the same time trying to figure out for himself what was going on in his life. This theme is also seen when Sonny and others were listening to music on the street. “As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them; and time seemed, nearly, to fall away from the sullen, belligerent, battered faces, as though they were fleeing back to their first condition, while dreaming of their last” (Beiderwell, Wheeler 402). Music, although not understood by everyone in the same view, was a communication tool for many, specifically Sonny. Through music Sonny was able to finally communicate all the suffering he has been through throughout his life. More importantly, he was finally able to open his brother’s eyes to his suffering, through the sound of him piano, through his blues
Dr. Jessica Datema
WRT – 201 – 089WB
October 20, 2014
The Darkness In Between “Sonny’s Blues” “Sonny’s Blues” is a short story, written by James Baldwin, about two brothers from Harlem, NY. The story is told in the first person perspective by one brother about is younger brother, Sonny. The narrator, who remains unnamed throughout the story, is Sonny’s older brother and no other siblings are mentioned, so it is safe to assume it is only the two of them. The narrator remains unnamed simply because his name is not relevant. The story is told by him, from his perspective, however, it does not matter who he is exactly. The narrator is a representation of the few black men in that time that were able to overcome the effects of …show more content…
From the narrator’s mother sharing the story about his late uncle, to the devastation from losing their parents, to the amount of care the narrator has toward Sonny’s wellbeing, there is a constant theme of family. After the death of their father, the narrator’s mother tells him, “’You got to hold on to your brother,’ she said, ‘and don’t let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him. You going to be evil with him many a time. But don’t you forget what I told you, you hear?’” (Beiderwell, Wheeler 395). Their mother made it clear to the narrator that he is to look after his brother, which is exactly what he did. Although Sonny ended up in jail and/or rehab, his brother was there for him when he got out, took him into his home, and supported him when he asked him to come what him play the piano in a blues …show more content…
After the death of both their parents Sonny was living with Isabel and her parents while the narrator was fighting in the war. Isabel described Sonny living with her and her parents as “it was like living with sound” (Beiderwell, Wheeler 399). This was because Sonny spent all his time sitting at their piano trying to find his voice, trying to communicate what was going on in his life while at the same time trying to figure out for himself what was going on in his life. This theme is also seen when Sonny and others were listening to music on the street. “As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them; and time seemed, nearly, to fall away from the sullen, belligerent, battered faces, as though they were fleeing back to their first condition, while dreaming of their last” (Beiderwell, Wheeler 402). Music, although not understood by everyone in the same view, was a communication tool for many, specifically Sonny. Through music Sonny was able to finally communicate all the suffering he has been through throughout his life. More importantly, he was finally able to open his brother’s eyes to his suffering, through the sound of him piano, through his blues