Sonnys Blues Essay - 1757 Words

The story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† By James Baldwin is about a jazz musician and his brother in 1950’s Harlem. The story centers on Sonny who uses jazz music as an escape from his depression. James Baldwin captures the art of jazz during this time period. The themes in this short story are perhaps varied, but all of them revolve around some form of suffering. One theme shows how music can promote change and understanding within relationships. A second theme reveals suffering caused by guilt. Yet another theme references the results of suffering brought about by searching for ones’ identity and how that leads to misunderstanding. There are also subthemes concerning racism and poverty. James Baldwin was born in 1924 in Harlem, New York to†¦show more content†¦(Teaching Arts) One of Baldwin’s beliefs was that art and music has the power to minimize suffering. Sonny uses bebop to express his emotions on his up-bringing and where he came from. The narrator, Sonny’s brother, and Sonny grew up in the projects of Harlem and were exposed to drugs and alcohol. They both feel darkness in their lives. Sonny became addicted to heroin and went to jail. Once out of jail, Sonny uses bebop music to make sense of his emotions instead of the heroin. Sonny’s brother does not understand his passion for music but does not know how to express his feelings of being â€Å"trapped in the darkness which roared outside.†(Baldwin 84) When Sonny was a teenager, he tells his brother he wants to be a jazz musician. The narrator does not think it is good enough for him because jazz was new and was not yet understood. The narrator goes to a club to watch Sonny and his band play. He begins to understand how deeply his brother feels and thinks, â€Å"I had never before thought of how awful the relationship must be between the musician and his instrument. He has to fill it, this instrument with the breath of life, his own.†(Baldwin 102) The music gives Sonny a chance to release his hopelessness and depression. Even though the narrator believes Sonny could have done more with his life if he had turned to classical music, he understands that Sonny is being true to who he really is. The anonymous brother, however, has not foundShow MoreRelatedSonnys Blues1514 Words   |  7 PagesHow does Baldwins real-life experience connect to his short story, Sonnys Blues? The writer was a poor boy growing up. He was also a Negro, so things were bad for him and his family in white America. He probably felt sad every day of his childhood so he turned to books for entertainment and maybe escape. When he started reading, he found that he liked it and wanted to create stories for other people to enjoy, but he was a poor Negro boy who could not expect help from the whites, so he taughtRead MoreSonnys Blues in Harlem896 Words   |  4 Pagesus have to struggle to make ends meet and others are born with money at their feet already. â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† opens up in Harlem with the narrator on a bus reading a newspaper learning that his brother, Sonny, has been arrested for selling heroin. Sonny’s brother takes him in after he is released from jail. However, his brother is scared if he lets him back into his home he will fall into his old ways. Sonny’s true passion in life is to become a Jazz musician but his family doesn’ t believe in what heRead MoreSonnys Blues Essay989 Words   |  4 Pages In James Baldwins, Sonnys Blues, the title itself is symbolic of the blues in the matrix of the African-American culture of music and suffering. 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This turned out not to be theRead MoreEssay about Sonnys Heroic Journey in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues2971 Words   |  12 Pagesof Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin focuses on whether a person should be conventional in making decisions for their life, or if they should follow their heart and do what is right for them. A person begins with strengths, many of which they lose along the way. At some point along their heroic journey a person may regain their strengths and develop new ones. Each phase of this journey will have an effect on them and o thers around them. According to his brother, who narrates Sonnys Blues, SonnyRead More Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin Essay1228 Words   |  5 PagesSonnys Blues by James Baldwin A captivating tale of a relationship between two troubling brothers in Harlem, Sonnys Blues is told from the perception of Sonnys brother, whose name is never mentioned. Baldwins choice of Sonnys brother as a narrator is what makes Sonnys Blues significant in terms of illustrating the relationship and emotional complications of Sonny and his brother. The significance of Sonnys Blues lies in the way Sonnys brother describes their relationship based onRead MoreDrugs and Musicians in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin Essay840 Words   |  4 PagesWhen first reading â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin, it may initially seem that the relationship between musicians and drugs is synonymous. Public opinion suggests that musicians and drugs go hand and hand. The possibility lies that Sonny’s passion for jazz music is the underlying reason for his drug use, or even the world of jazz music itself brought drugs into Sonny’s life. The last stateme nt is what the narrator believes to be true. However, by delving deeper and examining the theme of music in