Sonny's Blues Reflection

In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues," the unnamed narrator, who is also the main character, and, Sonny, his brother, grew up in Harlem and struggled with inner-city life and poverty. The narrator has a full-time job as an algebra teacher, with a wife and children. Sonny, on the other hand, has gotten involved with the wrong activities and people and has recently been arrested for selling and using heroin. The narrator of the story has a difficult time with the way Sonny lives his life, as he struggles to accept and understand the choices Sonny makes. The narrator cannot understand his brother and cannot deal with what he has become. In a certain part of the story, the narrator’s daughter dies, and the narrator decides to send Sonny a letter. After the narrator’s daughter dies, it makes Sonny’s trouble real to the narrator. Therefore, in the final scene of “Sonny’s Blues”, the narrator demonstrates that he understands his brother by listening to his brother through his music, giving his brother a cup of scotch and milk, and recognizing the effects of his own and his brother’s hardship. Throughout “Sonny’s Blues”, the narrator …show more content…
A combination of these parts within the story express that the final scene at the club in “Sonny’s Blues” express that the narrator understands his brother. These scenes happen within the club that Sonny takes the narrator to listen to his music, and show the change between Sonny, the narrator, and their relationship. The two brothers finally understand one another without exchanging words, just by music. The narrator finally understands the role music takes in Sonny’s life, how much music means to Sonny, and how Sonny is in his “element” when he plays jazz