Breaking into and out of the Blues: The Universal
Neuroses of Mankind in Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin
In Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin illustrates what Sigmund Freud might call the “universal neurosis of mankind.” It is also the story of overcoming the silence caused by that neuroses, which for Freud, is deeply rooted in the history of human conflict. Baldwin’s story gives the reader an intimate look at the reciprocal nature of societal repression and the way in which people express that “psychic conflict” outwardly. On the surface, Baldwin’s story is about two brothers: one who works within the 1950’s American system and the other who is a musician and is unable to cope within that system. On a deeper level, the story becomes a road map …show more content…
While silence plays a large role in the narrative, the gist of the story asks that we find a way out of that silence. The narrator is unable to speak to his brother until his daughter’s death (the ultimate form of silence). Sonny is at a loss for words and cannot express that which causes his pain. The sibling’s mother also practices silence by keeping a darker part of the family history from the narrator. Oddly enough, it is music and not words that breaks that silence. In one meaningful scene, the siblings encounter a sidewalk revival, and the narrator learns something about the effects of music on people. Here, Baldwin chooses the gospel song, The Old Ship of Zion to frame not only the encounter, but the gist of the entire story. That the song, with its roots in the old testament (which is a text shared by the Bible, the Torah, and the Qur’an) is passed down from one generation to another and speaks volumes about the importance of or desire for freedom throughout the ages. The song also speaks of the conflict that propels that desire forward. The ship is symbolic of Noah’s ark – a ship built to save a few from God’s wrath. In the context of Sonny’s Blues, the ship in the song might represent the slave ships that carried African Americans to an appalling destiny. But the lyrics sing of a vessel that carries “angels for the sailors,” (line 5) and “King Jesus is the Captain” (line 15). The religious elements speak to release and freedom. In Baldwin’s story, the narrator observes the reaction of the people listening to the song, and notices that even the most irritable onlooker stands still, while “faintly smiling” (141). This scene is significant in that it is a moment of discovery for the narrator. For the first time, he takes note of the way music moves people – that music and voice contain a different kind of power -one with a quality that makes connections
Neuroses of Mankind in Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin
In Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin illustrates what Sigmund Freud might call the “universal neurosis of mankind.” It is also the story of overcoming the silence caused by that neuroses, which for Freud, is deeply rooted in the history of human conflict. Baldwin’s story gives the reader an intimate look at the reciprocal nature of societal repression and the way in which people express that “psychic conflict” outwardly. On the surface, Baldwin’s story is about two brothers: one who works within the 1950’s American system and the other who is a musician and is unable to cope within that system. On a deeper level, the story becomes a road map …show more content…
While silence plays a large role in the narrative, the gist of the story asks that we find a way out of that silence. The narrator is unable to speak to his brother until his daughter’s death (the ultimate form of silence). Sonny is at a loss for words and cannot express that which causes his pain. The sibling’s mother also practices silence by keeping a darker part of the family history from the narrator. Oddly enough, it is music and not words that breaks that silence. In one meaningful scene, the siblings encounter a sidewalk revival, and the narrator learns something about the effects of music on people. Here, Baldwin chooses the gospel song, The Old Ship of Zion to frame not only the encounter, but the gist of the entire story. That the song, with its roots in the old testament (which is a text shared by the Bible, the Torah, and the Qur’an) is passed down from one generation to another and speaks volumes about the importance of or desire for freedom throughout the ages. The song also speaks of the conflict that propels that desire forward. The ship is symbolic of Noah’s ark – a ship built to save a few from God’s wrath. In the context of Sonny’s Blues, the ship in the song might represent the slave ships that carried African Americans to an appalling destiny. But the lyrics sing of a vessel that carries “angels for the sailors,” (line 5) and “King Jesus is the Captain” (line 15). The religious elements speak to release and freedom. In Baldwin’s story, the narrator observes the reaction of the people listening to the song, and notices that even the most irritable onlooker stands still, while “faintly smiling” (141). This scene is significant in that it is a moment of discovery for the narrator. For the first time, he takes note of the way music moves people – that music and voice contain a different kind of power -one with a quality that makes connections