Sonny's Blues Analytical Essay
In “Sonny’s Blues” from 40 Short Stories, the narrator who is the older brother of Sonny,
explains the lifestyle of Sonny and the troubles that he is facing in his life; addiction to drugs.
The narrator later unfolds Sonny’s true personality and who he really is. The narrator first finds
out in a local Harlem newspaper about his brother, Sonny, being caught dealing with drugs.
At first, the narrator was in total denial but as time passed, he spoke to one of Sonny’s friends.
Sonny’s friend explained and helped him understand what was really going on with Sonny’s
addiction to drugs. Sonny’s friend also wanted his brother to realize how complicated Sonny’s life
will be if it does not stop. The narrator starts to reminisce about the past and about when he and
Sonny use to talk. Later in the book, the narrator and Sonny finally got together. They started to
remember and think back to the good times, he also discussed Sonny’s future with him. Soon after
their conversation, Sonny decides to move in with his brother’s wife. While living with his
sister in law, Sonny started to skip school in order to hang out with musician friends. After Sonny’s
sister in law’s mother spoke to him about his situation, he left the house to join the Navy. The
narrator and Sonny did not meet until after Sonny returned from the war in Greece. When they
had finally met, they had a very heated discussion about Sonny’s decisions in life. As the
conversation came to an end, both went their separate ways. The narrator decided to stop thinking
about the past and pondered whether he should search Sonny’s room or not. After pacing back and
forth, the narrator looked out the window and noticed a scene on the corner of the street and thought
about its significance and the importance of it. Soon after, Sonny arrived home and invited his
brother to watch his performance. While watching Sonny performing, the narrator then comes
explains the lifestyle of Sonny and the troubles that he is facing in his life; addiction to drugs.
The narrator later unfolds Sonny’s true personality and who he really is. The narrator first finds
out in a local Harlem newspaper about his brother, Sonny, being caught dealing with drugs.
At first, the narrator was in total denial but as time passed, he spoke to one of Sonny’s friends.
Sonny’s friend explained and helped him understand what was really going on with Sonny’s
addiction to drugs. Sonny’s friend also wanted his brother to realize how complicated Sonny’s life
will be if it does not stop. The narrator starts to reminisce about the past and about when he and
Sonny use to talk. Later in the book, the narrator and Sonny finally got together. They started to
remember and think back to the good times, he also discussed Sonny’s future with him. Soon after
their conversation, Sonny decides to move in with his brother’s wife. While living with his
sister in law, Sonny started to skip school in order to hang out with musician friends. After Sonny’s
sister in law’s mother spoke to him about his situation, he left the house to join the Navy. The
narrator and Sonny did not meet until after Sonny returned from the war in Greece. When they
had finally met, they had a very heated discussion about Sonny’s decisions in life. As the
conversation came to an end, both went their separate ways. The narrator decided to stop thinking
about the past and pondered whether he should search Sonny’s room or not. After pacing back and
forth, the narrator looked out the window and noticed a scene on the corner of the street and thought
about its significance and the importance of it. Soon after, Sonny arrived home and invited his
brother to watch his performance. While watching Sonny performing, the narrator then comes