The story described in Sonny’s Blues stays relevant to these days, and many people meet the same life conditioned as the book’s main characters. The author presents his readers with the story of two brothers who live different lives and do not share the same interest. Sonny, the younger brother, ended up in jail for selling and using heroin when the older brother, whose name is not revealed, treats him with contempt. Throughout the book, the reader defines a special morality, and the attitude towards these two brothers is different for everyone.
The narrator, who is the older brother, presents the story from his point of view, and readers do not see the emotional sides of Sonny. This specific way of writing makes people more sympathetic to the older brother than the younger one (Johansson 20). The narrator has successes in life and becomes a professional math teacher. He loves his family and is always ready to help. However, all the living conditions which happened to his brother Sonny do not allow the narrator to use all his strength to help one of the closest family members. Even though the life became successful, the storyteller constantly catches flashbacks that do not allow him to live a normal life, stay optimistic, and build a future for his children. When the narrator loses his daughter, this person’s character opens from a different angle as his relation to the brother becomes clearer, and readers have more sympathy for this person.
In comparison to the narrator, the character of Sonny was fully described, and readers can understand this figure only from the stories of the storyteller. However, the appearance of the younger brother does not always express sympathetic emotions in readers. Sonny is addicted to drugs, and he got in jail for selling heroin. This character is a good musician, and the narrator states that his brother could become a great musician. However, the uneasy background of the African American destroyed many plans, and Sonny was so depressed that he ended up in prison. After the jail, there was no motivation to move forward, and the younger brother could not leave the dark background to become successful.
The relationship between both brothers might be controversial as one of them has managed to cope with life difficulties and become successful, but the other ended up in a complicated life situation. Many readers can mention that more sympathy goes to the narrator as he managed to overcome all difficulties. However, both brothers had to go through harmful life situations, and they cannot be judged by their appearance or set of minds. Consequently, some readers may not be able to decide whether the narrator or Sonny expresses more sympathy and empathy.
To conclude everything that has been stated so far, every reader might find a specific idea of the book. By relying on small points mentioned by the narrator, diverse opinions can be created. Two people from the same backgrounds grew up differently, which makes people think about different personalities and why such situations happen. Both of the characters have positive and negative aspects which express diverse emotions in readers. However, one of them is described in more depth, and unprofessional readers might not mention how they are affected by the story, which is told from the side of one of the brothers. Consequently, readers’ opinions might significantly change by reading the book in more depth and picking up the point that is not visible from first sight.
Work Cited
Johansson, Marie Seljehaug. An investigation of empathy in James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”. UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 2019.