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Sonny's Blues

            
             James Baldwins's "Sonny's Blues" is the account of two brothers who grow up in Harlem in New York City. The two brothers lead very different lives, but share a common bond through their pain and suffering. The suffering and the pain of life is what truly brings them together as brothers. The story also explores the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society where socioeconomic and racial barriers hold down black people.
             The story begins as Sonny's older brother is ridding the subway to work and reads in the paper that Sonny is in jail for heroin. This sets up the groundwork for the rest of the story. It follows Sonny and his brother after Sonny gets out of jail. During that time Sonny's older brother reflects on his past and his life as it is. The theme is the central meaning or message that the author wishes to convey to the audience. In "Sonny's Blues" the theme of loss and suffering resonates throughout the story. Sonny's older brother loses his baby girl to polio when Sonny is in jail. Sonny suffers from his addiction to drugs and the perils that come with that. Through their pain and losses the two brothers are brought together for the first tie in their lives. The pain gives them something to connect to each other through. .
             A metaphor is a direct comparison of two abstract ideas. The story of Sonny and his brother is merely a metaphor about the racial and socioeconomic limitations placed on black people, and how they try to escape the pain and suffering of those limitations. Throughout the story, Baldwin shows how these inequalities affect people. As Sonny's older brother is observing some young children play outside, he realizes that "these boys, now were living as we"d been living then, they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities"(41). This metaphor is indicative of how the black populations of America at the time are living under restrictions that stopped them from achieving their full potential.


Essays Related to Sonny's Blues

1. Sonny's blues

In James Baldwin's story Sonny's Blues, "blues" plays a very important part, even the story itself is a "blues", and there is a mood of unhappy throughout the whole story. ... "Blues" is a kind of music that to express a sad mood. ... The "blues", both as a state of being and as music, are basic to the structure of the story, and both the narrator and his brother Sonny have had their share. ... However, Sonny also tries to stay away from danger. ... Perhaps there is no way that we can absolutely stay out of danger, like Sonny's father said that there is no safe place for anyone,...

  • Word Count: 498
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Sonny's blues

SONNY"S BLUES A captivating tale of relationship of two troubling brothers in Harlem, "Sonny's Blues" is told from a perspective of Sonny's brother, whose name is never mentioned. Baldwin's choice of Sonny's brother as a narrator is what makes "Sonny's Blues" significant in terms of illustrating the relationship and emotional complications of Sonny and his brother. The significance of "Sonny's Blues" lies in the way Sonny's brother describes the relationship based on what he observes, hears, and feels, and how he struggles trying to understand Sonny thr...

  • Word Count: 1272
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Sonny's Blues

Sonny's Blues is a story about two brothers, their past and how their differences came between them. ... "Sonny's Blues" is a well written story that teaches a lesson that has value in every day life. ... The outcome, however, was not a stereotype since Sonny overcame his addiction and found himself, and the bond between Sonny and his brother was restored. ... Sonny's brother is remembering the tragic events that separated Sonny and him and relates them to the deaths of his parents and his daughter. ... "Sonny's Blues" is a well written story and it teaches a valuable le...

  • Word Count: 513
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Sonny Blues

In James Baldwin's 1957 Story, "Sonny Blues," Which Character, The Narrator Or Sonny, Went Through The Most Significant Transformation In The Effort To Seek A Common Ground As Brothers? In James Baldwin's story, Sonny Blues," the narrator, Sonny's brother, went through the most significant transformation in the effort to seek a common ground as brothers. ... Almost as en epiphany Sonny's brother comes to understand Sonny's need for a giving and communicating relationship. Sonny did not need to be controlled, because Sonny was determined to do thing his way. Sonny n...

  • Word Count: 588
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Sonny

Sonny's Blues The Title Sonny's Blues referring to the short story written by James Baldwin has many significances and double meanings within the story. ... "Sonny's Blues" originated not from the heroine or the jazz music that played the major roles in the story. ... This is where the significance of "Sonny's Blues" really takes shape. Sonny's blues saved Sonny form his blues. ... Sonny's Blues is epic example of good triumphing over bad against fixed odds. ...

  • Word Count: 522
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

6. sonny's blues

In Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" two brothers try to live out their lives in the ghetto. ... The beginning of "Sonny's Blues" marks an awakening for the narrator. He is faced with Sonny's drug addiction problem. ... "You got to let him know you's there," and in doing so Sonny's brother allow his silence to be challenged by Sonny's account of his suffering and by the music that is Sonny's lifeline (240). ... Sonny's brother finds new strength in his attempts to support and accept Sonny. ...

  • Word Count: 739
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

7. The Narrator of Sonny's Blues

In James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues," the narrator's brother, Sonny, has a heroin addiction and gets arrested for using and selling drugs. ... James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" presents a family theme through the use of symbolism, tone, and first person narration. Jazz music is a very big symbol in "Sonny's Blues." ... Since "Sonny's Blues" is written in the first person, the audience can get a better understanding of the narrator's thoughts and feelings, as well as seeing how important family is to the narrator. ... The...

  • Word Count: 876
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Sonny's Blues and A Good Man is Hard to Find

For this paper, I decided to compare and contrast, "Sonny's Blues,"" by James Baldwin and "A Good Man is Hard to Find,"" by Flannery O'Connor. ... In "Sonny's Blues ", the theme of lightness and darkness are used as symbols to represent the positive and negative events in the protagonist's struggle to find a balance in his life. ... "Sonny's Blues"" tells the tale of the narrator's younger brother, Sonny, who has had a rough past that ranges from selling heroin, spending time in jail, and had difficulty living in his wife's family household. ... "Well, I need...

  • Word Count: 707
  • Approx Pages: 3

9. Analysis of Sonny's blues

"Sonny's Blues", is a story of pain, addiction, and two brothers" search for acceptance. The story is told from the perspective of Sonny's brother, who is a school teacher in Harlem. ... "Sonny's Blues" isn't just about the pain and sadness in their lives, but it is also about learning to overcome their differences and trying to salvage the bond they once had. ... When Sonny's brother finds out that his brother was arrested, he's initial reaction was total denial. ... Sonny didn't want to believe that his brother had become just another "victim" of the ghet...

  • Word Count: 262
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

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