“Sonny’s Blues,” written by James Baldwin is the short story of two brothers who are trying to overcome tricky situations in their very different lives surrounding drugs and suffering told from the view of an unnamed narrator. The story was written in the 1950s which at the time was hard for African Americans because opportunities were limited and the odds were against them. The narrator is finding himself having to reconnect with his brother sonny after a falling out between the two. Sonny his brother is finding himself battling with a heroin addiction and with the fact that he can’t seem to find the acceptance he’s looking for. Growing up in Harlem, this story aims to show how drugs and suffering comes about one’s life, how it affects the family of the user and how one can overcome the drugs.
One of the many things that Baldwin tried to explain in Sonny’s blues is how drugs and suffering can come about one’s life in the first place. With the time of this story being the 1950s and black people having to deal with racism and poor living habits of Harlem, I think that people felt like drugs were the only way to …show more content…
Being that the time was around the 1950s and they were black it was difficult for them. James Baldwin the author did an excellent job with portraying the life black people had through his story. He made points such as how drugs come into someone’s life. A reason being is because they struggle and seek to find acceptance that no one is giving them. Another point he made was that the drugs not only affected the user but also the people closest to them. Sonny ended up missing out on time with his family which included watching his nephew grow up and missing his niece’s death. He also touched on how someone could overcome an addiction by finding something you’re passionate about and forgetting about anything
One of the many things that Baldwin tried to explain in Sonny’s blues is how drugs and suffering can come about one’s life in the first place. With the time of this story being the 1950s and black people having to deal with racism and poor living habits of Harlem, I think that people felt like drugs were the only way to …show more content…
Being that the time was around the 1950s and they were black it was difficult for them. James Baldwin the author did an excellent job with portraying the life black people had through his story. He made points such as how drugs come into someone’s life. A reason being is because they struggle and seek to find acceptance that no one is giving them. Another point he made was that the drugs not only affected the user but also the people closest to them. Sonny ended up missing out on time with his family which included watching his nephew grow up and missing his niece’s death. He also touched on how someone could overcome an addiction by finding something you’re passionate about and forgetting about anything