Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin is a captivating narrative of a relationship between two troubling siblings in Harlem, "Sonny's Blues" is told from the perception of Sonny's brother, whose name is unknown. The author’s choice of Sonny's brother as a narrator is what makes "Sonny's Blues" remarkable in terms of illustrating the interconnection and emotional complexity of Sonny and his brother. The significance of "Sonny's Blues" lies in the way Sonny's brother characterize their relationship based on what he observes and perceives, and how he struggles trying to understand Sonny through the course of the story. The several types of conflicts are revealed throughout. The idea of suffering, family ties and substance abuse play as a vital development
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Throughout the story there is a great deal of controversy between Sonny and his brother, which affects Sonny not only as a person but as a musician as well. Sonny faces an external and internal conflict as he deals with drug abuse along with struggling to maintain a relationship with his older brother due to lack of communication and understanding. The narrator which is Sonny’s older sibling encounters difficulty understanding his brother’s life decisions. Sonny discusses how he wants to pursue his dreams of being a Jazz musician but the narrator has difficulty coping the idea as he feels that kind of lifestyle does not seem to be suitable for Sonny, “I simply couldn’t see why on earth he’d want to spend his time hanging around nightclubs, clowning around on bandstands, while people pushed each other around a dance floor. It seemed—beneath him” (p.235). Through the narrator’s perspective you see the man vs man conflict. As the narrator being the older sibling he’s seen as a paternal guidance for Sonny due to the parent’s absence. He feels that school is best for Sonny as he himself was able to become a math …show more content…
Throughout the story various of central themes are being highlighted. One central theme that’s reflected throughout the text is suffering. In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues," suffering is a part of the human state. Sonny suffers from imprisonment, substance abuse and lack of understanding from his brother; but those very things that cause Sonny to suffer also allows him to create music in order to surpass/overshadow that suffering. As one reads the story, they are able to visualize every character’s experience of this constant presence of suffering, as well the external conflict of man vs society. “Sonny’s Blues” describes the almost impossible task of growing up as a black male in Harlem in the 1930’s and 1940’s. A neighborhood infested with African American’s living in poverty and surrounded by drugs. As Sonny battles with drug abuse he becomes a product of his environment, viewing suffering and music as his potential to escape Harlem where all the narcotics were accessible. “The moment Sonny and I started into the house I had the feeling that I was simply bringing him back into the danger he had almost died trying to escape” (p.230). Through the narrator’s perspective drugs were not effortless to diminish when coming up in Harlem. “yet it had happened and here I was, talking about algebra to a lot of boys who might, every one of them for all I knew, be popping off needles every
Throughout the story there is a great deal of controversy between Sonny and his brother, which affects Sonny not only as a person but as a musician as well. Sonny faces an external and internal conflict as he deals with drug abuse along with struggling to maintain a relationship with his older brother due to lack of communication and understanding. The narrator which is Sonny’s older sibling encounters difficulty understanding his brother’s life decisions. Sonny discusses how he wants to pursue his dreams of being a Jazz musician but the narrator has difficulty coping the idea as he feels that kind of lifestyle does not seem to be suitable for Sonny, “I simply couldn’t see why on earth he’d want to spend his time hanging around nightclubs, clowning around on bandstands, while people pushed each other around a dance floor. It seemed—beneath him” (p.235). Through the narrator’s perspective you see the man vs man conflict. As the narrator being the older sibling he’s seen as a paternal guidance for Sonny due to the parent’s absence. He feels that school is best for Sonny as he himself was able to become a math …show more content…
Throughout the story various of central themes are being highlighted. One central theme that’s reflected throughout the text is suffering. In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues," suffering is a part of the human state. Sonny suffers from imprisonment, substance abuse and lack of understanding from his brother; but those very things that cause Sonny to suffer also allows him to create music in order to surpass/overshadow that suffering. As one reads the story, they are able to visualize every character’s experience of this constant presence of suffering, as well the external conflict of man vs society. “Sonny’s Blues” describes the almost impossible task of growing up as a black male in Harlem in the 1930’s and 1940’s. A neighborhood infested with African American’s living in poverty and surrounded by drugs. As Sonny battles with drug abuse he becomes a product of his environment, viewing suffering and music as his potential to escape Harlem where all the narcotics were accessible. “The moment Sonny and I started into the house I had the feeling that I was simply bringing him back into the danger he had almost died trying to escape” (p.230). Through the narrator’s perspective drugs were not effortless to diminish when coming up in Harlem. “yet it had happened and here I was, talking about algebra to a lot of boys who might, every one of them for all I knew, be popping off needles every