Internal Conflicts In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

The short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” focuses on the narrator and author, James Baldwin, a Algebra teacher in Harlem reuniting with his drug addicted brother, who was recently released from prison and able to back home to their childhood neighborhood. As they catch up from the years pasted, tension between them starts to occur when they both to attempt to deal with anger toward each other. The story puts emphasis on major themes of suffering, racism, a recurrent theme that Baldwin writes about in his other works, as well as the minor tragic event of Baldwin’s daughter. Though the main conflict is between their ideals that separate them, the narrator and Sonny both have their own internal conflicts to deal with. Baldwin goes through issues keeping his promise to his mother of watching out for his brother while Sonny still must fight his substance abuse. …show more content…
As an African American living in Harlem, he knows the limits and obstacles that are placed in front of him because of his race and feels captive in the community. Drugs are one of he opinions for getting out. To him, “It makes you feel – in control. Sometimes you've got to have that feeling” (195). Ironically, the drugs actually made him lose what little control he had. Sonny destroys his life by becoming addicted to drugs and getting sent to prison. He lost his grace from God and his brother by committing these sins. This also affects the narrator’s internal conflict. On the other hand, he uses his gifts of music to cope with his urges and frustrations. It seems that music is a way of escape, however the lyrics must come from his pain and