Life in Harlem was no picnic for many African Americans living there, but through various methods of survival many were able to find a life of meaning and fulfillment. In James BaldwinÆs SonnyÆs Blues, two brothers come closer together through tragedy and healing. Initially, the older brother (narrator) looks down on the lifestyle adopted by his brother, a jazz musician named Sonny. The story opens with SonnyÆs arrest for selling and possessing heroin. The narrator experiences flashbacks which show us the motivations that spurred each brother to adopt their particular course in life. The narrator is a schoolteacher with a child. Sonny dropped out of school to follow his love of jazz music. Despite the narratorÆs initial dislike and misunderstanding of SonnyÆs chosen way of life, by the end of the story he understands his brotherÆs love of jazz is his attempt to find shelter for his battered humanity.
This story had a tremendous impact on me because as I watched the brothers reconcile in this story, I empathized with the choices they both had to make based on their life experiences. No two brothers could seem more distinct on the surface than Sonny and the narrator. The narrator is a respectable teacher and family man. He is cautious and proud of his achievement in life. Sonny, in contrast, is emotional, passionate, and he is not afraid to take risks in life to follow the dreams he desires. Sonny and the narrator have lost their parents, who we meet in flashbacks. In order to escape the realities of their past, the two brothers choose different paths in life. The narrator has escaped his past through education, family, and respectability. Sonny has escaped his past by immersing himself in the private world of introspection, drugs, and his passion for music.
The story focuses on the rehabilitation of Sonny, but the narratorÆs rehabilitation is the key point of the story. Through his discovery of jazz music,...