Introduction
Sonny’s Blue by James Baldwin, written in 1957, explores the different approaches two brothers take on the path to finding meaning in life. The narrator, a teacher, is not impressed by Sonny’s decision to venture into music and his abuse of heroin which lands him in jail. The story perfectly illustrates the struggle to find fulfillment as a black man in a racist society while balancing family life and expectations. It indicates that, while pursuing one’s interests may be more appealing and rewarding, it is always associated with social pressure and conformity issues, particularly in a racial society, where going against the society’s norms is perceived as a failure, thereby resulting in conflict. James Baldwin uses symbolism and point of view to translate the struggles that African American community faced through the conflict between two brothers.
Discussion
The story has several themes that represent a variety of problem that an African American faces. These include the Darkness that is a way Baldwin refers to the Harlem and life in it. All men seek to escape the menace of the conditions in Harlem, and although their ways are different, they have one common goal. The narrator understands that in the final scene of the story, where he is introduced to Sonny’s world and realizes that music was a much-needed liberation from the oppression for Sonny. The same way, narrator sees education and dignity as a way out of Harlem. It is the difference in points of view that creates a conflict between Sonny and his brother.
Everything that transpires in the short story stems from Harlem’s social construct and racial oppression. The narrator describes Harlem as a place that gives everything a sense of menace, including the music and the people who, unfortunately, had accepted that reality. The narrator tells his mother’s story about how the uncle was killed in a road accident by drunk white men (Baldwin 132). The path each of the characters takes in life is in an attempt to escape the frustrations of living in a less fortunate community. For instance, Sonny has been dramatically impacted by the environment around him, which ultimately leads him to serve a jail term for abusing and selling heroin (Baldwin 127). Conversely, the narrator shows pity for Sonny’s friend, who suffers from the same problems as Sonny, but sees it as less unfortunate and argues that it might turn out badly if it were Sonny.
The narrator being respected in society as a teacher represents how people if the African American community are expected to flourish. The narrator has the same view because he thinks the students in his class might face the same troubles as his brother despite having a proper education. He reconciles the challenges experienced in Harlem society by driving a point that the environment might affect dreams and passion. However, it does not limit the path to self-fulfillment, and that people can be happy within limited boundaries just the same way Sonny finds passion in music.
The general expectation in every society has always been that brothers undergo the same upbringing and stick with each other throughout, but that is not the case with the two brothers. The narrator recounts their early childhood and clearly distinguishes his personality from that of Sonny, who is less focused and has numerous arguments with his father. Sonny finds passion in music which the narrator finds absurd and unfulfilling. Hence, the narrator’s point of view provides an opportunity to analyze Sonny’s behavior and decisions that he made. Issues such as substance abuse and criminal behavior are common for African American population, and the way narrator is concerned about it represents the way Baldwin is concerned about the issue in general.
The language employed in the story creates a picture of the situation at hand. For instance, the title “Sonny’s Blues” represents what Sonny must go through to recover from his addiction and the struggle he has to face to be a musician from a harsh background (Sklar 460). The writer uses darkness and light to contrast the challenges the characters face growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood. The light symbolizes hope despite the challenges they face, while darkness shows racial oppression. This is shown when the writes says, “In a moment someone will get up and turn on the light. And when light fills the room, the child is filled with darkness” (Baldwin 131). He incorporates the cup of trembling, which is a biblical allusion to explain the suffering of the people, and Sonny drinking from it is an admission of the suffering endured to reach a happy place. The writer uses language as a tool to illustrate to the reader the extent to which the two brothers go to find peace.
The story is plotted in a way that follows a path of conflict, discovery, and redemption. The conflict between the brothers reaches a boiling point when the narrator walks away but says that Sonny will one day need his help which comes to happen. The moment of discovery happens when Sonny is in jail, and the narrator’s daughter Grace dies. The narrator is sad about losing his daughter, who died from polio, while Sonny has reached the bottom of his life. The narrator sends Sonny a letter first, after which Sonny writes back in a long letter where there is a feeling of regret. Sonny seems oblivious of how the situation at hand arose and even shows some happiness because their parents are not alive to witness this kind of life he has found himself in.
The writer is very specific that the narrator stays with Sonny after being released from prison to show that the journey to reconciliation is accepting to accommodate the flaws of others. Ultimately Sonny invites the narrator to a music concert in a place where Sonny is respected. This scene is the culmination of the story, as through Sonny’s blues the narrator finally understands the brother. The plot summarizes identity conflict and the path to realizing that people can pursue different dreams.
Some people believe that deviating from society’s path is a failure in life and that anyone who does so will never flourish. In the story, for example, the narrator regards his brother as a failure because he chose to be a musician rather than pursue a professional career like him. According to the narrator, academic brilliance is the hallmark of peaceful cohabitation in a racial society. However, this is not always the case because when individuals are prevented from pursuing their passion, they feel imprisoned and unwanted by society. As a result, it creates a sense of deprivation of opportunity and freedom to pursue one’s interests, resulting in conflict.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the story presents the identity conflict by trying to conform to social constructs. The conflict between the two brothers can be generally applied to the conflict in the African American community that is torn apart by issues such as substance abuse and criminal behavior. James Baldwin uses narrator’s point of view to represent how distant, yet close the conflicted sides are. In addition, the use of symbolism helps the writer to transfer the message of how diverse the solutions to one problem are.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. Vintage Books, 1985, p. 122-148. Web.
Sklar, Howard. “Empathy’s Neglected Cousin: How Narratives Shape Our Sympathy.” The Palgrave Handbook of Affect Studies and Textual Criticism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2017. 451-480. Web.