James Baldwin Sonny's Blues

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 Baldwin's Sonny's 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 Sonny's 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 narrator's initial dislike and misunderstanding of Sonny's chosen way of life, by the end of the story he understands his brother's 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,

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ready decided you was going to go and live at Isabel's" (Baldwin, 1977, 220). Sonny's response shows the walls separating the brothers, "You decided it...I didn't decide nothing" (Baldwin, 1977, 220). This exchange made me feel sad because I have often had my own life choices dictated to me by "concerned" relatives or friends who seldom understand my real needs or motives. Sonny has experienced more pain and anguish than his brother, which is responsible for his need for jazz. It is only through the music that Sonny is able to find some refuge, some peace, and some acceptance of the pain. I really relate to this aspect of the story because I often use music as a means of escape from the daily trials and tribulations of living. For the narrator, his initial disdain for Sonny's lifestyle changes once his daughter dies of polio. It is only then that he begins to glimpse an understanding of why his brother needs jazz so much - it is an escape from and a form of dealing with anguish. Creole's impact on the narrator is a foreshadowing of Sonny's impact on his older brother when he begins to play the piano. It is Sonny's skill and total immersion in his music that makes the narrator begin to have respect for Sonny's way of life

Category: Literature - J