Preview

Theme Of Sonny's Blues

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
318 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Theme Of Sonny's Blues
The plot of Sonny’s Blues is structured to deliver the theme of the story which is the obligatory love of the narrator toward his brother Sonny, growing up as an African American in the poverty and despair of Harlem. Also, it highlights the salvation they desire in themselves and with each other. The plot encompasses the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and the conclusion to achieve the message of the story.
The initial situation is set up when the narrator reads the newspaper and learns that Sonny has been arrested for using and selling heroin, which leads the narrator to reflect on his and Sonny’s past. The conflict begins when the narrator recalls his argument with his brother, Sonny, about Sonny’s
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Aha Moment In Sonny's Blues
    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Aha Moment In Sonny's Blues

    In Sonny’s Blues the narrator was a bit apprehensive towards Sonny’s music and passion for playing the piano. He felt that it would only drag Sonny back down the same road to heroin use that he had recovered from. At the same time the narrator showed a great deal of love toward his brother because he kept his promise to his mother to look out for Sonny. When the narrator sees Sonny perform in the nightclub, he notices that’s the way Sonny escapes his problems. The narrator also at that same moment realized, he too is in a way like his brother, looking…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    A Literary Analysis Of Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A Literary Analysis Of Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    Throughout the years, the brother and Sonny seemed to be apart from one another and finds themselves in a disordered position. As Elaine R states in her article that after the narrator was informed about Sonny’s arrest the fear was not towards Sonny but it was towards himself, as he fear establishing contact with Sonny might jeopardize his middle class existence within the society. - “I couldn’t believe it … I couldn’t find any room for it anywhere inside of me.” Baldwin through this scene emphasizes on an epiphany of the narrator, where the narrator doesn’t fully desire to be a part of yet feels responsible as an elder brother. Further, Baldwin creates an understanding of how within a family there is an ominous connection which binds one another socially and emotionally as being responsible to one…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” explores the narrator’s and Sonny’s roles in their fraternal relationship. After their mother’s death, the narrator assumes a parental role while Sonny matures and grows more independent. This causes Sonny to run away from home in search of control over his own life. Baldwin puts his characters through immense suffering.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Pephony In James Baldwin's Sonny
    • 238 Words
    • 1 Page

    Pephony In James Baldwin's Sonny

    As Sonny’s brother is walking through the streets he hears his brother was arrested for possession of heroin. This ends up furthering his disapproval. He jumps to the conclusion that Sonny has just given up on his life and that he will not amount to anything in the future. Sonny’s brother also learns of Sonny’s aspiration of being a musician. He links the use of drugs to the music and is rather dissatisfied. He believes he knows what is better for his brother’s life.…

    • 238 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Similarities and Differences between Sonny’s Blues and A Good Man is Hard to Find
    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Similarities and Differences between Sonny’s Blues and A Good Man is Hard to Find

    The two stories that interest me the most are Sonny’s Blues and A Good Man is Hard to Find. Between Sonny and the Misfit, they both had commons and differences from each other. Since they had different inner emotional distress, this led to a huge difference in their lives.…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Suffering In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    The brothers appear to be completely different people throughout the story but nearing its end, Sonny’s brother finally begins to understand Sonny’s bizarre ways. Sonny’s brother seems to be living a sound life on the outside, but soon realizes that he has been suppressing the suffering he has endured in his lifetime. Having lost his uncle, mother and father already, Sonny is dealing with the recent…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay
    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay

    Sonny’s brother was in a dark place after suffering this loss, which made him sympathize with Sonny. This tragedy helped the brother reach out to Sonny so that he could make amends for their long separation. At this point, Sonny’s brother tries to understand all that has transpired in Sonny’s life to get some clarity why Sonny went down this dark path. Sonny’s brother makes sense of Sonny’s struggles to help the reader piece together a complete picture of Sonny’s life.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis
    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis

    Sonny’s Blues shows a theme of salvation, or being saved. Not only do the two brothers need salvation from the world but they need salvation from their inner beings as well. Their world is filled with drugs, imprisonment, and the evil that resides around them. Salvation comes in many forms in this short story. The narrator is haunted by the thought of not responding to his brother, a failure that continues to haunt him because he denied all his obligations to his brother, Sonny and his dying mother. Also the death of the narrator’s daughter, Grace, is actually a form of salvation. It makes the narrator write a letter to his brother in search of forgiveness. This serves as salvation for Sonny who had just got out of jail, and wants to be…

    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brotherhood In Sonny's Blues, By James Baldwin
    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Brotherhood In Sonny's Blues, By James Baldwin

    Sonny's brother was very skeptical and decided that supporting his brother was the most important thing to do at this point in their lives. When the older brother heard Sonny play and saw the way people responded to Sonny he realized this is his little brothers passion and life. "There was a long pause, while they talked up in their indigo light and after awhile I saw the girl put a Scotch and milk on top of the piano for Sonny. He didn't seem to notice it, just before they started playing again, he sipped from it and looked toward me, and nodded. Then he put it back on top of the piano. For me, then, as they began to play again, it glowed and shook above my brother's head like the very cup of trembling." This particular scene symbolizes that the feud is over and that the past is gone. Also, that Sonny has finally seen the light and will fight his battle with a heroin addiction and beat it because he knows that he…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay
    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay

    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…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sonny's Blues Thesis
    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sonny's Blues Thesis

    Sonny’s Blues was first published in 1957 by James Baldwin. The story takes place in Harlem, a historically African American neighborhood in New York City. This story was the start of Baldwin commitment to the civil rights movement, and he became a spokesman for African Americans during the 60’s. Sonny’s Blues is about two brothers, Sonny and the narrator, that suffer in multiple ways that involves music, drug abuse, the way the interact with each other, and even nightmares. Suffering can cause a human to change their point of view drastically. Only a few can overcome the curve balls life decides to throw at one. “Sonny’s Blues” is a fantastic example about how suffering can change a person, but…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare and Contrast of “Sonny’s Blues” and “Everyday Use”
    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Compare and Contrast of “Sonny’s Blues” and “Everyday Use”

    In the story “Sonny’s Blues,” Harlem was the home and place where Sonny grew up. In Harlem most people lived very poor lives and were consumed by drugs and addictions. In this place the people lived life struggling socially and economically. Sonny felt trapped within his neighborhood, this was a place where people did not have much of a chance to succeed. Sonny proclaimed to his brother from his heart how he did not want to live in Harlem anymore. He did not want to stay and live in this place where he would be tempted to do drugs. He felt that he would find temptation with drugs in his life because he was constantly surrounded by people who were doing drugs and had become addicted to them. The political system brought upon Sonny lots of frustration and anger which prevented him from…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay
    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Sonny's Blues Literary Analysis Essay

    In Sonny’s Blues the theme, symbols, characters, and motifs all combine together to create a literary masterpiece that describes the importance of unity amongst family and the turbulent life of African-Americans living in Harlem, New York in the 1950’s. This story is written in a chronological thought process of experiences the narrator has seen while growing up and the memories of his family, mostly of his brother Sonny. The story is about Sonny’s journey, told and seen through the eyes of the narrator. The narrator, who remains unnamed, is a black man teaching algebra in Harlem and Sonny, his younger brother, is a blues pianist struggling…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Analysis Of Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin
    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Analysis Of Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

    When they were young, their mother believed living in Harlem wasn’t safe and their father thought otherwise. Their mother wanted to move to a better place where her children would be safe. This can be seen when the narrator states, “‘Safe!’ my father grunted, whenever Mama suggested trying to move to a neighborhood which might be safe for children” (Pg. 113). Shortly after their father passed away, their mother feared Sonny would have trouble growing up or would become murdered like their unfamiliar uncle and pleaded to the narrator to always look out for him. The narrator was able to succeed by becoming an algebra teacher and tried to create a better life for Sonny, but ultimately he rebelled and started to use drugs. Present day, the narrator had no choice but to still live in Harlem in a housing project due to not being far from where he taught and for his children. The narrator and his family moved in when it was new, but after a few days it was already rundown. The narrator mentions that living in the housing projects became similar to the houses in which Sonny and he grew up in. After Sonny’s imprisonment, the narrator feared that Sonny living with them in the housing project would cause him to fall back again and rely on drugs. This can be seen when the narrator states, “The moment Sonny and I started into the house I had the feeling that I was simply bringing him back into the danger he had almost died trying to escape” (Pg. 112). The narrator began to look out for Sonny and would worry that at any moment Sonny would use drugs again to escape reality. The narrator wanted to make sure that this time he would complete his promise to their mother and help Sonny into a better…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism In Sonny's Blues
    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Symbolism In Sonny's Blues

    A high school algebra teacher and a drug addict brother. Two different personalities who want nothing but a brotherly relationship. The unknown narrator cares about his brother Sonny but blames himself for who his brother has become. He wishes he could have protected his brother more and in doing so, prevent him his brother’s drug addiction. Sonny and his brother’s relationship is nowhere close to perfect but tries to prove that people can change. In Sonny’s Blue’s, Baldwin uses symbols of Jazz and Blues music, and colors of light and darkness to show their brotherly relationship and their capability of having a good relationship.…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More