This narrator recently discovered the arrest of his younger brother for the accusations of selling and using heroin. For a moment nobody's talking, but every face looks darkening, like the sky outside. A teacher passed through them every now and again, quickly, as though he or she couldn't wait to get out of that courtyard, to get those boys out of their sight and off their minds. The fundamental differences between these two brothers in their lack of understanding for each other and their gradual acceptance of one another, is presented and explained by their personal and social conflicts, what the symbolism casts upon the story, Sonnys blues takes place in Harlem, an Afro-American neighborhood in New York City. Baldwin is considered an American activist, author, and play writer. However, as the story progresses, the death of grace enables the narrator to come in touch with reality, which prompts him to contact his brother setting the journey to the path of redemption. . ", But houses exactly like the houses of our past yet dominated the landscape, boys exactly like the boys we once had been found themselves smothering in these houses, came down into the streets for light and air and found themselves encircled by disaster. My clothes were wet-I may have looked as though I'd been sitting in a steam bath, all dressed up, all afternoon. James Baldwin was born in New York, but grew up in Harlem where times were tough. But you never hear anything I say.". From the very beginning of the tale, the sorrow is palpable through the unnamed narrator 's discovery of Sonny 's incarceration, and moreover through the atmosphere created by Mr. Baldwin. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. This is a really powerful book in which everyone should read. "When she was singing before," said Sonny, abruptly, "her voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes-when it's in your veins. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! Who Set You Feelin? 1245 Words5 Pages. The central idea about Sonny's Blues is redemption. ", He pulled away. Perhaps I was listening to them because I was thinking about my brother and in them I heard my brother. This was my introduction to James Baldwin. Great On Kindle: A high quality digital reading experience. Want 100 or more? Baldwins acknowledgement as he declares, I knew, no matter what anybody said, that the future I faced, was not the future they faced. #6. James Baldwins Sonnys Blues uses Sonny as an antagonist character to the protagonist, his eldest brother. Starting off, a summary of the story and its major themes should be provided. And then he'll just start working his way back in again. In the remembrance, the speaker also recollects how Sonny used to fight with his father since they were similar in many ways, particularly through music, He and Sonny hadnt ever got too well, and this was partly because Sonny was the apple of his fathers eye (Baldwin 26). "Analysis of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin." Further, the author depicts music as a source of conflict between different characters in the short story, more so when Sonny was sent to live with his in-laws. #27. He wanted to be a jazz musician. After Sony performed, the narrator saw how affectionate music was and was able to change his perception of music, owing to the love he saw Sonny feel at the club. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sustana, Catherine. The narrator laments that many of them may already be using drugs, just as Sonny did, and that perhaps the drugs will do "more for them than algebra could." For several months after the arrest, the narrator does not contact Sonny. It was a special kind of ice. The first type of darkness is the one that was closing in on their lives, and the one on the movies that is making them not see the other type of darkness (Clark 201). In this case, that sort of thing being nearly perfectly crafted fiction. You can see the darkness growing against the windowpanes and you hear the street noises every now and again, or maybe the jangling beat of a tambourine from one of the churches close by, but it's real quiet in the room. 202 Dr. Hadley Mozer 2/10/17 The short story that I chose to write a literary analysis on is James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues. This article "Sonny's Blues," was written by James Baldwin where he narrates a story about Sonny, his younger brother. #1. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Drugs And Crime In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin Yet there is a sense that this darkness provides safety for Sonny, rather than menace. Abstract. One of James Baldwin 's earliest works, " Sonny 's Blues" is a perennial favorite of college anthologies and perhaps his most widely read short story. Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER! It might be said, perhaps, that I had escaped, after all, I was a school teacher; or that Sonny had, he hadn't lived in Harlem for years. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! First published in 1957, Sonnys Blues, perhaps Baldwins best known and most widely. And we would certainly have called the doctor, but the fever dropped, she seemed to be all right. Years ago, when he was around fourteen, he'd been all hipped on the idea of going to India. You can view our. for only $13.00 $11.05/page. Can't much help old Sonny no more, I guess, "I'm surprised at Sonny, though," he went on-he had a funny way of talking, he looked straight ahead as though he were talking to himself-"I thought Sonny was a smart boy, I thought he was too smart to get hung. This was because I had begun, finally, to wonder about Sonny, about the life that Sonny lived inside. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. In a moment someone will get up and turn on the light. "Me," he said. I guess she saw this in my face. Sonnys Blues was created in an African American setting, where music was growing and was apart of the culture. This therefore makes the story not only interesting, but relevant in the 1950s society. Study Guides, James Baldwin & Sonny's Blues Background, Historical Context: Black Americans and Post-World War II America. Throughout the story, we learn about the relationship between the pair and are able to witness the narrators ultimate understanding of Sonny and his ambition. "Well, you may think it's funny now, baby, but it's not going to be so funny when you have to make your living at it, let me tell you that." Baldwin is a novelist, poet, and a social critic by profession. The text is similar to various good reads as they always give hope to the hopeless. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Complete audio reading of James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" Written in 1957 by an African-American author James Baldwin the piece . The bright sun deadened his damp dark brown skin and it made his eyes look yellow and showed up the dirt in his kinked hair. After a couple of weeks, Sonny invites the narrator to come to hear him play piano at a nightclub. . The silence, the darkness coming, and the darkness in the faces frighten the child obscurely. For a long time, the narrator despised Sonny, particularly for his life decisions, such as taking music as a career, which he thought was useless. It was not to be believed and I kept telling myself that, as I walked from the subway station to the high school. Black Music Energizes Black Literature: Blues in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues., Claborn, John. He paused, I couldn't bear to watch him, I watched the barmaid, and I listened to the music which seemed to be causing the pavement to shake. But the man who creates the music is hearing something else, is dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air. James Baldwin - Sonny's Blues | Genius The sense of prophecy here the certainty of "what's going to happen" shows a resignation to the inevitable. Retrieved from https://speedypaper.com/essays/close-reading-essay-sample-sonnys-blues-by-james-baldwin, Free essays can be submitted by anyone, so we do not vouch for their quality. This is a fictional literature work where Baldwin is trying to put it on paper about drugs. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% It's a wonder it doesn't blow the avenue apart.". The story takes the reader through pain, suffering, alienation, and anger of the main character. After going through all the trouble, Sonny was a great musician and he loved to play music more than anything. Much of the story is told through a series of flashbacks as memory and family history are revealed to be central drivers of the trauma and alienation experienced by Sonny and the Narrator. ", "And I'm sick of the stink of these garbage cans! After accompanying Sonny to the performance, the narrator realizes how people adore him and for the first time, he was able to see Sonny being appreciated by many people for what he was doing. When I finally did, it was just after my little girl died, and he wrote me back a letter which made me feel like a bastard. . #26. Dont have an account? Sonny, is the name the readers are captivated with. James Baldwin: Early Novels and Stories: Go Tell It on a Mountain / Giovanni's Room / Another Country / Going to Meet the Man. "I never give Sonny nothing," the boy said finally, "but a long time ago I come to school high and Sonny asked me how it felt." Ernst Klett Sprachen, 2009. And even then, on the rare occasions when something opens within, and the music enters, what we mainly hear, or hear corroborated, are personal, private, vanishing evocations. The father dealt with horses before his death. You going to be evil with him many a time. The nightclub where Sonny plays is very dark. In contrast, his brother, Sonny, is a musician who has led a much wilder life. I'm telling you this because you got a brother. When he was about as old as the boys in my classes his face had been bright and open, there was a lot of copper in it; and hed had wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness and privacy (Baldwin, 1957, pg. The book is very good in the sense of being relatable in same way to most people that have problems and real life. #32. While reading "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin theme, symbolism, and motifs were discovered throughout the entire short story. First published in 1957, Sonnys Blues, perhaps Baldwins best known and most widely anthologized short story, was later collected in the volume Going to Meet the Man (1965). Sonny's Blues is a short story by James Baldwin that was first published in 1957. The narrator insinuates that "It's only light we've got in all this darkness (Baldwin 139)." The light is a sign of redemption at the end of the sufferings. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. Finishing in a nightclub where Sonnys jazz piano playing shows how he can turn his suffering into something good. I couldnt believe it: but what I mean by that is that I couldnt find any room for it anywhere inside me. And the world ain't changed." Sonny is the main character in the story who has been through a lot in life. And though the narrator in some ways has escaped the "darkness" of his childhood by getting a respectable job and starting a family, he realizes that his children are facing all the same challenges he faced. Sonny's Blues. Ya'll rock!If you have any requests for short stories or poetry, please let me know in the comments. Looking for a flexible role? He had a background as a preacher, so a text from the Book of Genesis in the Bible, has a similarity towards Sonnys Blues. In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" there is a large array of symbolism. Baldwin focused on the life of Sonny, who was narrated from the point of view of his brother, as Sonny was arrested by the authorities for possession of drugs. Sonnys Blues starts off with an unnamed narrator reading a newspaper. After remembering his promise to his mother, the narrator felt it was his duty to keep Sonny in the right direction of life. In "Sonny's Blues" theme, form, and image blend into perfect harmony just like a bebop jazz rift. What is evoked in him, then, is of another order, more terrible because it has no words, and triumphant, too, for that same reason. Analysis of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin - ThoughtCo Hes mostly telling us Sonny's story, and this would seem to make him a peripheral character instead of a central one. "Do you mind," he asked, "if we have the driver drive alongside the park? It considers the possibility of understanding Baldwin's fictional text as a statement on reading social as well as subjective 'problems' as universal across contexts. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/analysis-sonnys-blues-by-james-baldwin-2990467. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spilling out or that I was going to choke or scream. Sonny decided to clean up and live with his brother. ", Though the story is told with music rather than words, the narrator still describes the music as a conversation among the players, and he talks about Creole and Sonny having a "dialogue." Would you like to get this essay by email? I read it, and I couldn't believe it, and I read it again. He notes that: Though both Sonny and the narrator have traveled the world by enlisting in the military, they have both ended up back in Harlem. On any level." "It did.". They both went through the same childhood, but handled it differently. The existing sources represent every character and ideas of the story required by the reader to understand the story. Sonny's Blues - James Baldwin - YouTube When Sonny gets out of jail, the narrator is there for him. You're pretty goddamn smart, I bet.". on 50-99 accounts. The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. His younger brother Sonny is a troubled musician struggling with his addiction to drugs. #31. The time that the narrator has spent apart from Sonny, he was unsure of his appearance. Here's what he said: Dear brother, You don't know how much I needed to hear from you. He also spoke for the civil rights of the Americans. "Sonny's Blues" is the best reading because Baldwin connects the audience with all of the characters while also focusing on human suffering, which is. Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did. ", And I watched her face as she laughingly responded to something someone said to her, still keeping time to the music. 269. He realizes that Sonny is in his element while playing music and that the blues are his way of keeping madness and ruination at bay, as Sonny's life is difficult. Maybe it did more for them than algebra could. And he'd always been a good boy, he hadn't ever turned hard or evil or disrespectful. Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin 6,712 ratings, 4.28 average rating, 438 reviews Sonny's Blues Quotes Showing 1-22 of 22 "For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. While watching his students, he finally started to imagine him as he was. Their laughter struck me for perhaps the first time. Ernst Klett Sprachen, 2009, 15-105. Sometimes you've got to have that feeling. At the end of the story Sonny invites the narrator to come to a music club and hear him play, he accepts the invite. Here's where you will find analysis of the key literary devices in Sonny's Blues.. 4.3 Discussion #5: Baldwin: "Sonny's Blues" Discussion #5: Baldwin: "Sonny's Blues" Consider James Baldwin's story, "Sonny's Blues" and answer the following questions in detail, using text to support your discussion. 129). "It's terrible sometimes, inside," he said, "that's what's the trouble. #8. This also helps to show that as the main character of the story representing the life of an African American young man, Sonnys life is filled with the desire to make it in music, against societys backdrop which was highly associated with violence, drugs, and even insecurity. The silence of the next few days must have been louder than the sound of all the music ever played since time began. Reminiscing with the memory of what use to be, the narrator realizes Sonny is battling with his addiction to Heroin. It filled everything, the people, the houses, the music, the dark, quicksilver barmaid, with menace; and this menace was their reality. 5.0 out of 5 stars 2. (2022, Apr 01). The story makes use of poetic style, sympathetic but honest tone, and mood. He's a high school algebra teacher, and he looks at his young students, wondering which ones are, like Sonny, turning to . Farah Jasmine Griffin, chair of Columbia University's Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies . Most black people grow up in the slums and it is extremely hard to make it out of there without getting stuck on something bad. Baldwin's first novel, Go Tell it On the Mountain, was published just four years before "Sonny's Blues," and in this story (which also incorporates many autobiographical elements of. Order from one of our vetted writers instead. And how about you? Yes, I have read The Horse Dealer's Daughter which is also a good read, just like Sonny's Blue. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. He stopped, looking inward, looking helplessly young, looking old. He used music to escape from all the bad things around him. ", I first read a small passage in ECC.and created a essay about it. You walk these streets, black and funky and cold, and there's not really a living ass to talk to, and there's nothing shaking, and there's no way of getting it out- that storm inside. I saw this boy standing in the shadow of a doorway, looking just like Sonny. Then they all looked different there." Sonnys life in his sister in-laws family creates conflict due to his behaviors and lack of commitment to his college studies. The story takes place in the project of Harlem, New York in the early 1950s. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. The music stopped, the barmaid paused and watched the juke box until the music began again. James Baldwin is a renowned author best known for his work of essays, books and short stories, particularly those which dwell deeply into important social and psychological issues of discrimination, gender inequality, homophobia and so on.