Sonny's Blues Revised
Baldwin was not an unknown writer even before Sonny's Blues, a short story, was published in the year 1957. This story first appeared in Partisan Review that was one of the most popular and respected journals at that time. Sonny's Blues was published once again by Baldwin in the year 1965. This time he published it in his collection of short stories that was called "Going to Meet the Man."
This story had the potential of attracting a good deal of positive criticism; nonetheless all the analysts viewed this story with different perspectives. Even before this short story was published, Baldwin had a reputation for writing about African-American issues; so many critiques were of the view that this story was based on racism. "Definitely, Baldwin acted like a spokesman when the American civil rights movement was going in during the 1950s and the 1960s because a number of his writings address the issues of racial discrimination of that era" (Tackach, 2007).
Yet the others thought that Sonny's Blues was about music, the abuse of drugs and the suffering of humanity. A part of all these themes was seen in this story, and it was claimed as one of the best pieces of literature.
Thesis
The main theme of this short story is the integration of Drugs, Culture and Music. The writer of this story explains in Sonny's Blues how the triangle of these three things influences the cultural relations of the people, particularly pertaining to the oppression that existed in the African-American society in the 1950s. In this story, the writer explains how Sonny uses music as an escape from this oppression and how he is imprisoned for being an addict. The story, based on two brothers, takes many twists and turns until it finally comes to a smooth conclusion.
Analysis of the plot
As mentioned before, this story revolves around a young jazz musician who is called Sonny and who belongs to Harlem. It is interesting to note that Harlem is the place where Baldwin belongs to. Critiques cannot resist making connections between him and the narrator as the narrator's identity has not been revealed in this story. Sonny becomes a heroin addict when he goes out to pursue his career in music, in an attempt to escape from the oppressed society. He then gets arrested because he is charged for selling and using heroin and other drugs. After he is released from the prison, Sonny returns to his childhood neighborhood where he moves in with his brother, who is the narrator of the story.
The way Baldwin explains the interaction between the two brothers when they first meet is actually quite real, and therefore gives one an opportunity to think on the lines that the narrator might be someone very close to Baldwin's heart. After a period of tension between the two brothers, they finally reconnect. Throughout the tension period, it has been explained in the story how the two brothers try to deal with the anger and frustration that they feel towards each other.
Although, drugs has been the main focus of this short story, themes like the significance of family ties, music and the struggle that one goes through to make his life worth have also been taken into consideration. The short story is just very close to reality, explaining the trials and tribulations of humanity in general and a citizen of an oppressed class in particular.
It will not be wrong to say that "Sonny's Blues" is not a very easy story to read for multiple reasons. One of the main reasons for this is that it focuses, with different angles and perspectives, on the human suffering. The reason why this increases the admiration of the reader...
Sonny's Blues While the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it must always be heard," writes James Baldwin in his short story, Sonny's Blues. "There isn't any other tale to tell, it's the only light we've got in all this darkness." This might be called the theme of Sonny's Blues, and it comes at the end of a long
For most of the story the setting surrounded the narrator and his life. It was his house, his family, and his experiences that made up the majority of the story. However, after the narrator reconciles with Sonny and he is invited to be part of the narrator's life, the setting of the story changes to Sonny and that which surrounds his life; particularly his music. The narrator and Sonny
Sonny's Blues Who is the main character in the story (choose between Sonny and the narrator)? Also, explain why then you consider the other man to be a minor character. The main character of the story is without a doubt the narrator. This is because the narrator is the one who is doing all of the experiencing in the film. The narrator is the one who discovers the news about Sonny and
This passage also, of course, reflects Sonny's particular struggle. He tells his brother at one point that the feeling heroine gave him at many times was a feeling of being in control, and that it was important for him to have that feeling sometimes. The rest of the world, it is made clear, does not actually give either sonny or his brother a great deal of control, and though both
It seems like so many lives are wasted, and it does not really have to be that way at all. This story is really well written and compelling. The reader really feels like they know and understand these two characters by the end of the story, and it also made me think about all the elements that go into good fiction. Each of these stories is different, even though they
Sonny's Blues": Two brothers, two parallel lives James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" is contingent upon a comparison of the lives of two men, Sonny's brother and Sonny himself. Sonny's brother is a stable family man with a wife and two children, a respected schoolteacher. Sonny is a heroin addict and jazz musician. On a schematic level, they represent two sides of the African-American experience, as chronicled by Baldwin during
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now