Comparing Race In Recitatif And Sonny's Blues

Theme of Race in Recitatif and Sonny’s Blues Across history, the color of the skin has been used to segregate people. Authorities have utilized this element to reward others, while some have been punished because of it. Resources in the community have also been historically allocated based on race and not the needs. This has left some races to be at a disadvantage. One of the most deprived groups has been the black race. For centuries, the notion of this race being inferior has been passed to promote white supremacy. Racism is often enforced through societal institutions such as legislations, which bring about the disparity. Stereotyping has also been at the center of racism as it has created animosity between individuals. Literature serves …show more content…
As much as it has been rarely mentioned in the story, its effects can be seen throughout. Baldwin describes the dilapidated housing projects that have sprung out of Harlem because of federal segregationist housing policy. These projects are a direct representation of the effects of racism on the community. In addition to this, the fear that the narrator shows for his students can be attributed to the fact that they are young African American men, like Sony, who are living in a system that has both endless and ruthless discriminatory laws against …show more content…
At the beginning of the story, Sonny is arrested for peddling and using heroin. Although the narrator at first is surprised by the actions of his brother, as the story continues, through his worries, it is adamant that this might be the path his students would take. Racism limited the potential of both educated and uneducated black people to succeed in life and escape the hardships of ghetto life. The only means of escaping this harsh world were via using drugs. Despite the narrator trying to escape poverty by attaining education and assimilating into the white culture, he still lived in housing projects.
The suffering and darkness in Sonny’s Blues are tied to the effects of racism. Suffering according to the narrator is something that is inherited amongst members of the black community from one generation to the other. The effects of racism in the story become clear when Sonny’s mother explains how white men murdered her brother-in-law in cold blood. She warns the narrator that the same fate could befall Sony. Her concern is based on the belief that racism continued to be a threat to her