Literary Techniques Used In Sonny's Blues, By James Baldwin

A story is a chain of events depicted through a person’s point of view. It follows one or more characters through a series of different events and places. A good story catches readers’ attention right from the beginning and keep them interested through thought provoking characters. Once the story captures a reader’s attention, the interest is maintained by a series of events that put the reader through an emotional roller-coaster. The central characteristics that contribute to a successful story include a hook, climax and resolution.

A narrative hook is “a literary device used at the very beginning of a story to engage the reader's curiosity” (Narrative hook, n.d.). As the word itself suggests, it creates an instant interest in the story and hooks them into the story. A hook can be a pivotal moment, makes the reader wonder, introduction of an interesting character or start with a compelling narrator. In “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, the author hooks the reader making them wonder and starting with a compelling narrator. The story starts with the narrator, a schoolteacher, reading a newspaper story in the subway that shocked him. The first line creates an interesting event and the reader wants to know how the …show more content…
Usually the protagonist confronts the antagonist during the climax. It builds up suspense and help readers focused on the story. In “Sonny’s Blues”, the climax is reached when the narrator and Sonny have the argument in the apartment. Both brothers misunderstood each other until this point. Sonny wants his brother to recognize his musical talent. But the narrator’s mind is so clouded with Sonny’s drug abuse history that he cannot see past that about Sonny. Both brothers were looking from the windows of Sonny’s room at a funeral and realized that life is short. They can either argue over petty incidents from the past or start a fresh