Sonny's Blues Thesis
Zayra Rendon
Mrs. Smith
ENGL 1102
10 Feb 2017
Sonny’s Blues was first published in 1957 by James Baldwin. The story takes place in Harlem, a historically African American neighborhood in New York City. This story was the start of Baldwin commitment to the civil rights movement, and he became a spokesman for African Americans during the 60’s. Sonny’s Blues is about two brothers, Sonny and the narrator, that suffer in multiple ways that involves music, drug abuse, the way the interact with each other, and even nightmares. Suffering can cause a human to change their point of view drastically. Only a few can overcome the curve balls life decides to throw at one. “Sonny’s Blues” is a fantastic example about how suffering can change a person, but
can be overcome by music.
Sonny states that he needs heroin in order to keep himself together, “not so much to play. It's to stand it, to be able to make it at all. On any level. . . In order to keep from shaking to pieces" (53). While Sonny is suffering an addiction, his brother, the narrator is suffering mentally. Sonny doesn't want his brother to think that being a jazz musician is what causes him to turn to drugs. He's trying to make him see that at some point drugs help him just get through the day, to survive another 24 hours of his life. Baldwin uses Sonny’s addiction to set the tone of the story. It is like Baldwin has a great deal of sympathy for him. Instead of painting him as a nameless and faceless drug addict, he instead tries to get the core of the Sonny’s problems. After multiple passages in which Sonny and other characters try to make sense of his addiction, this helps the reader solve the true deep hurt and suffering feeling Sonny has. The fact that he is also a musician create even more opportunity for the read to have sympathy since Sonny reacts to not being able to play the piano. Even though Baldwin has sympathy towards Sonny, he still does not sugarcoat the drug addiction. He makes it seem dirty, nasty, and painful to the point Sonny is sick of his own smell, and it tears the family apart for years. Baldwin is able to carry out his sympathy without disregarding Sonny’s behavior.
Baldwin uses jazz music to symbolize a different meaning to each character. The narator
Mrs. Smith
ENGL 1102
10 Feb 2017
Sonny’s Blues was first published in 1957 by James Baldwin. The story takes place in Harlem, a historically African American neighborhood in New York City. This story was the start of Baldwin commitment to the civil rights movement, and he became a spokesman for African Americans during the 60’s. Sonny’s Blues is about two brothers, Sonny and the narrator, that suffer in multiple ways that involves music, drug abuse, the way the interact with each other, and even nightmares. Suffering can cause a human to change their point of view drastically. Only a few can overcome the curve balls life decides to throw at one. “Sonny’s Blues” is a fantastic example about how suffering can change a person, but
can be overcome by music.
Sonny states that he needs heroin in order to keep himself together, “not so much to play. It's to stand it, to be able to make it at all. On any level. . . In order to keep from shaking to pieces" (53). While Sonny is suffering an addiction, his brother, the narrator is suffering mentally. Sonny doesn't want his brother to think that being a jazz musician is what causes him to turn to drugs. He's trying to make him see that at some point drugs help him just get through the day, to survive another 24 hours of his life. Baldwin uses Sonny’s addiction to set the tone of the story. It is like Baldwin has a great deal of sympathy for him. Instead of painting him as a nameless and faceless drug addict, he instead tries to get the core of the Sonny’s problems. After multiple passages in which Sonny and other characters try to make sense of his addiction, this helps the reader solve the true deep hurt and suffering feeling Sonny has. The fact that he is also a musician create even more opportunity for the read to have sympathy since Sonny reacts to not being able to play the piano. Even though Baldwin has sympathy towards Sonny, he still does not sugarcoat the drug addiction. He makes it seem dirty, nasty, and painful to the point Sonny is sick of his own smell, and it tears the family apart for years. Baldwin is able to carry out his sympathy without disregarding Sonny’s behavior.
Baldwin uses jazz music to symbolize a different meaning to each character. The narator