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 brothers join the military during "the war" (presumably World War II), there is no sense of a wider world of possibilities, but only the darkness and bleakness that exists in Harlem. Heroine provided a sense of control, perhaps, but it is obviously a false impression -- it is actually the cause of Sonny's true, physical imprisonment. It can be seen as part of the ceiling that the young men of Harlem bump their heads into as they grow up in a rush -- drugs are a part of what's holding the community back.
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
Sonny's Outline James Baldwin. "Sonny's Blues." Junky. Keith Richards. Life. Question Under Investigation: What is the relationship between music and drugs in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" and why does the character of Sonny need the two things? James Baldwin utilizes the concepts of music and drugs in a similar way, as a means by which the character of Sonny can escape from his real life which he find intolerable, as indicated in the very title
Music becomes the symbol that changes the brothers. To emphasize the importance of the power of music, Baldwin's narrator cannot grasp what Sonny is speaking about until he sees him play. It is only when he experiences the sound does he finally "get it." Music bridges the chasm that has existed between these brothers for so long and it literally saves their relationship from further darkness and turmoil. Sonny's
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