Literary Analysis of James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues

Fictional writing is generally done just to entertain readers. Some authors create stories with a singular point of view, while others introduce more complex plots and storylines. When it comes to author James Baldwin’s short story Sonny’s Blues, there is much depth given to the storyline and the characters. Sonny’s Blues has been analyzed by many different people throughout time because the story has many elements. From Baldwin’s skillful use of metaphors and similes to his incorporation of religious references, this story is insightfully and complexly written. A simple story about a man and his brother leaves readers with an inside look into family, drug addiction, socioeconomic struggles in the Black community, and the language of Jazz music.
Sonny’s Blues is a story about an aspiring musician’s life as it is seen through his older brother’s eyes. The story begins with Sonny’s older brother, an Algebra teacher, finding out that Sonny has been sent to prison due to a drug related crime. He finds this out by reading about the incident in the newspaper because apparently Sonny’s lifestyle has caused the brothers to lose contact. After a tragedy strikes, the unnamed narrator reaches out to Sonny in an attempt to mend their relationship. Throughout the piece, the narrator shares past experiences from their childhood as well as family secrets, and events that shaped both brothers’ adult lives. Readers ultimately come to learn that Sonny is a misunderstood Jazz musician that has walked a rough road, but in the end he is just trying to survive. Sonny’s brother narrates the story so while readers witness Sonny’s struggle, they also witness his brother’s transformation. Sonny is a recovering drug addict so it would seem that the story would be about how he changed; in reality Sonny never changes, but his brother comes to understand him and respect the man he is as well as the man he is striving to become.
A prominent theme throughout the story is Jazz music. As a