Theme Of Sonny's Blues

The plot of Sonny’s Blues is structured to deliver the theme of the story which is the obligatory love of the narrator toward his brother Sonny, growing up as an African American in the poverty and despair of Harlem. Also, it highlights the salvation they desire in themselves and with each other. The plot encompasses the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and the conclusion to achieve the message of the story.
The initial situation is set up when the narrator reads the newspaper and learns that Sonny has been arrested for using and selling heroin, which leads the narrator to reflect on his and Sonny’s past. The conflict begins when the narrator recalls his argument with his brother, Sonny, about Sonny’s