This is all he cares to know about Sonny because knowing anymore might be painful for him. It is also worth noting that the protagonist in this tale has gone on to become successful and live a somewhat respectable life, unlike his brother. The protagonist does everything he can to escape the street life that held no future, no promise. He fled the pain and darkness of those streets and Sonny was just a painful reminder of his past. Donald Murray writes that there is "no escape from the darkness for Sonny and his family" (Murray 354) and the only way to cope is by finding another way to survive with the darkness. Sonny's brother could not have chosen a more different path in life to take. He is a teacher and feels a certain amount of superiority over Sonny. Sonny was not in the least bit inclined to become more educated and he finds in joy in music. Here, Baldwin shows us the different between the boys -- one loves numbers and the other loves music. The protagonist encourages Sonny to "stop kidding around" (33) and find something productive to do because "people can't always do exactly what they want to do" (35). Sonny disagrees, telling him, "People ought to do what they want to do, what else are they alive for?" (35). These two brothers could not be more opposite. Sonny is the dreamer and his brother is more pragmatic in his approach to life. Like most people who disagree, they each feel they are right. Jennifer Hicks maintains that Sonny is different and does not care of he is different. His brother, on the other hand, worked to fit into society's definition of what an African-American should do. He worked according to their mores and did become a success, according to their definitions. Sonny, on the other hand, chooses another route. Hicks writes, "Rather than fulfilling himself by assimilating into the mainstream culture and following the American Dream, he chose to immerse himself in the blues world and become a heroin addict" (Hicks). It is important that we see this as a choice and not...
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