A Literary Analysis Of Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" explains how the narrator does not trust his brother, Sonny after learning that he is going to jail for the use and sale of heroin. Just after the death of their mother, Sonny expresses to the narrator that he has a passion for playing jazz music. The narrator does not agree with this which causes a strained relationship between the two brothers. After watching Sonny perform one night at a nightclub, the narrator realizes that Sonny is a person who has been through pain and heartache, but also that he has a wonderful soul. The two brothers learn to overcome thir differences, even when one is an algebra teacher and the other is a musician. Baldwin tells the story through the use of flashbacks,
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Two major themes throughout the story are drug abuse, what got Sonny locked up in the first place, and brotherhood. When the narrator finds out that Sonny is in prison due to the abuse of drugs, he says, "Look. I haven't seen Sonny for over a year, I'm not sure I'm going to do anything. Anyway, what the hell can I do?" (601) This shows that the narrator feels like there is nothing he can do anymore. The reader is able to understand that Sonny loves his brother, but does not understand his life choices. However, when Sonny gets out, the narrator takes him back into his home and decides to remember the promise to his mother of not betraying his brother. He begins to realize that the meaning of being a brother means helping each other out from a bad time, in Sonny's case, drugs. It takes time for the narrator to realize that Sonny is just a person who is channeling his pain and anger into music. Sonny and the narrator lost their father and mother at a young age, so now the brothers are all that each other has left. By the end of the short story the reader can conclude that Sonny is just someone who is trying to fit in somewhere and express his passion to the world. The theme of brotherhood is at it's peak when the narrator discovers that his brother is someone who is experiencing suffer and
Two major themes throughout the story are drug abuse, what got Sonny locked up in the first place, and brotherhood. When the narrator finds out that Sonny is in prison due to the abuse of drugs, he says, "Look. I haven't seen Sonny for over a year, I'm not sure I'm going to do anything. Anyway, what the hell can I do?" (601) This shows that the narrator feels like there is nothing he can do anymore. The reader is able to understand that Sonny loves his brother, but does not understand his life choices. However, when Sonny gets out, the narrator takes him back into his home and decides to remember the promise to his mother of not betraying his brother. He begins to realize that the meaning of being a brother means helping each other out from a bad time, in Sonny's case, drugs. It takes time for the narrator to realize that Sonny is just a person who is channeling his pain and anger into music. Sonny and the narrator lost their father and mother at a young age, so now the brothers are all that each other has left. By the end of the short story the reader can conclude that Sonny is just someone who is trying to fit in somewhere and express his passion to the world. The theme of brotherhood is at it's peak when the narrator discovers that his brother is someone who is experiencing suffer and