James Baldwin

James Baldwin's stories are often filled with examples of the impact of racism and prejudice on African Americans. In two in particular, "Sonny's Blues" and "The Rockpile," we see that oppression and violence toward African Americans by a racist and dominant white majority often leads to internalized self-destruction and abuse of blacks by blacks in African American culture.

In "Sonny's Blues," Baldwin provides us with the story of Sonny, a hard-drinking, drug-addicted blues musician and his brother, a teacher who serves as the story's narrator. We see that the two brothers' lives have taken dramatic turns. Sonny has turned to alcohol, drugs, and music to escape the impact of racism in American society. His uncle has been run over by a car driven by drunken whites. He ref

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