The given assessment will focus on James Baldwin’s “Sonny’ Blues,” and the essay question on what this work reveals about issues like reality, imagination, truth, morals, values, relationships, gender roles, and power structures. This particular piece of writing primarily focuses on family values, brotherly relationships, and addictions. The story demonstrates that support is vital for mutual understanding, and suffering can be harnessed by transforming it into beauty, such as music.
Family members can be perceived as close to each other, but the absence of communication will eventually lead to misunderstandings. One can assume that siblings are inherently interconnected, but it is important to point out that the relationship still requires a great deal of input of time and attention. When Sonny tells the narrator that he wants to play jazz, the latter states: “well, the word had never before sounded as heavy, as real, as it sounded that afternoon in Sonny’s mouth” (Baldwin 8). In other words, the brother was highly shocked by such an expected answer, which illustrates how distant they are from each other despite being siblings. It also reveals that Sonny sees music, especially jazz, as a way to transmute his addiction-related suffering into more productive and beautiful.
In conclusion, the most interesting aspect of the given literary work is the gradual transformation of the narrator’s pattern of thinking about his own brother. One can easily relate himself or herself with these characters, because many have close family member, who might seem close, but, in fact, distant. Therefore, it is essential for individuals to be supportive and communicative with their siblings in order to be able to see their aspirations and deep problems.
Work Cited
Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” Blackboard, uploaded by Jenifer Skolnick, 2020, Web.