In James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” the narrator gets to redeem himself for the neglect of his younger brother. His younger brother, Sonny, found himself battling an addiction to heroin. The short story occurs in the 1950’s in Harlem. Due to the realness of the setting, the reader can apply historical context to the short story. Although “Sonny’s Blues” is not a religious story, the author, James Baldwin, uses Christian symbolism to represent the fall and redemption which the narrator withstands. Assuming the reader has a familiarity with Christianity, the symbolism in the story creates a dynamic understanding to the text. Similarly, Herland is not a religious story but the society of women has a strong relationship with their
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And at the same time I couldn’t doubt it. I was scared, scared for Sonny, He became real to me again. (Baldwin17)
Despite their lack of communication, the narrator’s disbelief at his brother’s arrest demonstrates his support for Sonny. The narrator expressed a fear for Sonny’s situation which conveys his need to reconnect and support his brother. As the narrator explains the poor news, he references that Sonny relevance in his life once again which suggests to the brothers’ lack of communication becomes apparent. The narrator’s lack of action to restore their relationship exhibited he did not desire to reconnect.
The death of the narrator’s daughter, Grace, was the peak of his decline. Her death had an extremely negative impact upon both the narrator and his wife, Isabel. The narrator is quoted explaining her death:
[She] heard Grace fall down in the living room. When you have a lot of children you don’t always start running when one of them falls, unless they start screaming of something. And, this time, Gracie was quiet. Yet, Isabel says that when she heard that thump and then that silence, something happened to make her afraid. …show more content…
The death of Grace depicted Christian symbolism. More specifically, her death bears relation to the Christian theme of falling from grace. The motif refers to a characters’ loss of dignity. Grace’s death suggests the narrator’s decline in morality. However, the narrator’s search for salvation did not occur immediately. His search for salvation began the day of Grace’s funeral. After the funeral, he wrote a letter to Sonny. By communicating with his older brother, Sonny can be viewed as the narrator’s redeemer. Their communication sparks the narrator’s uprising from his suffrage. The narrator understood his reconnection with Sonny would benefit both. The narrator’s completed redemption came during Sonny’s jazz performance. The narrator understood the benefit Sonny gained from playing music which sparked his realization of what their relationship had brought him. Their newfound relationship delivered the narrator from suffering and brought him joy.
Similarly, within Herland, Vandyck displays a fall from grace and redemption. His redemption brought about a positive change in his values. Vandyck’s preconceived biases from the United States established his negative expectations for Herland. Although each man showed different intensities towards this belief, they all displayed a belief that women were incapable of running a society. Vandyck established his values in the
And at the same time I couldn’t doubt it. I was scared, scared for Sonny, He became real to me again. (Baldwin17)
Despite their lack of communication, the narrator’s disbelief at his brother’s arrest demonstrates his support for Sonny. The narrator expressed a fear for Sonny’s situation which conveys his need to reconnect and support his brother. As the narrator explains the poor news, he references that Sonny relevance in his life once again which suggests to the brothers’ lack of communication becomes apparent. The narrator’s lack of action to restore their relationship exhibited he did not desire to reconnect.
The death of the narrator’s daughter, Grace, was the peak of his decline. Her death had an extremely negative impact upon both the narrator and his wife, Isabel. The narrator is quoted explaining her death:
[She] heard Grace fall down in the living room. When you have a lot of children you don’t always start running when one of them falls, unless they start screaming of something. And, this time, Gracie was quiet. Yet, Isabel says that when she heard that thump and then that silence, something happened to make her afraid. …show more content…
The death of Grace depicted Christian symbolism. More specifically, her death bears relation to the Christian theme of falling from grace. The motif refers to a characters’ loss of dignity. Grace’s death suggests the narrator’s decline in morality. However, the narrator’s search for salvation did not occur immediately. His search for salvation began the day of Grace’s funeral. After the funeral, he wrote a letter to Sonny. By communicating with his older brother, Sonny can be viewed as the narrator’s redeemer. Their communication sparks the narrator’s uprising from his suffrage. The narrator understood his reconnection with Sonny would benefit both. The narrator’s completed redemption came during Sonny’s jazz performance. The narrator understood the benefit Sonny gained from playing music which sparked his realization of what their relationship had brought him. Their newfound relationship delivered the narrator from suffering and brought him joy.
Similarly, within Herland, Vandyck displays a fall from grace and redemption. His redemption brought about a positive change in his values. Vandyck’s preconceived biases from the United States established his negative expectations for Herland. Although each man showed different intensities towards this belief, they all displayed a belief that women were incapable of running a society. Vandyck established his values in the