One effective aspect of the story is the use of conflict between Sonny boy and his community. Examples of the conflict can be seen with the treatment of Grandma Sooky, Old Jason, and Clara. Grandma Sooky is always telling Sonny to stop looking at the moon, Old Jason tries to convince him to pick up a plow, and Clara is in love with him, yet he does not propose to her. These conflict all shape and give meaning to the story.
First, Grandma Sooky want him to be conventional and follow religious rules not the moon "Devils". However, Sonny Boy is constantly looking at the moon. He does not like speaking much and simply smiles when his grandmother speaks to him. While Sonny Boy is an imaginative, creative, and artistic young boy, he is also restless. He wanders around playing music and staring at the moon rather than have a conventional job.
Secondly, old Jason wants him to be a farmer and have a job before marrying Clara. He does not think highly of Sonny Boy’s talent with the guitar. Instead, he tells Sonny Boy that he needs to get a hoe and plow and get to work. However, Sonny does not listen to him at first. It is only at the end of the story that Sonny starts to work to provide for his and Clara's son.
Lastly, the conflict between him and his community is an archetype conflict. Sonny does not listen to his grandmother or Old Jason. He knows that Clara loves him, but he does not propose to her. Instead, he leaves for months only to return when Clara gives birth and dies. It is only after the death of his love that he gives up roaming and takes up the hoe and plow.
Sonny Boy is a unique person. He does not talk much but stares at the moon. This gets him in trouble with his grandmother, Old Jason, and he loses his love, Clara. It is only after losing all that he realizes that there are more important things in life than roaming and staring at the moon. He gives up music and roaming to settle down and provide for his son.
Second Essay
The dialect is another effective element of the story. For example, the author had written “Dat man in de moon,” Grandma Sooky had said, “ain’t nothing but de devil nohow” (Henderson and Nicholls 51). The dialect is effective for three reasons: It shows that the author understood the social structure of the time, the author understood how uneducated people spoke, and that the author is able to transfer his ideas for the story from his mind to paper.
First, the dialect shows that the author understood the social structure at the time. Grandma Sooky taught Sonny Boy how to read by using the Bible. However, the author uses a broken dialect rather than the dialect from the Bible to show that Sonny and his grandmother are both poor.
Secondly, the author’s choice of dialect shows that he understood how uneducated people communicated. Although, Sonny learned his letters and how to read from the Bible, it is clear by the way he speaks that he lacks education. Additionally, his dialect calls into question how much did he really learn from the Bible. Sonny was taught by his grandmother who also spoke broken English. Therefore, the author uses the same dialect many of the characters which makes the readers know that all the characters were uneducated.
Lastly, the use of a dialect shows that the author is to portray the characters exactly how he sees them in his mind. The author is able to convey the characters story by using both improper and proper English throughout the story. As each character speaks, their broken dialect is used which reveals to the reader the characters’ situation. The back and forth between improper English and proper English shows that the author is comfortable with both dialects and he is able to write the story in only four pages.
The dialect of the story is important. The author uses broken English to show that the characters are uneducated and poor. However, the author is comfortable with writing in proper English which helps to move the story along.
Third Essay
Another effective aspect of the story is that it gives a lot of information in just four pages. The reader learns a lot about Sonny Boy’s life and the lives of others around him. For example, it is known that Sonny loves watching the moon. This is effective for three reasons: Sonny’s moon watching effects those around him, the moon watching effects Sonny’s path in life, and it shapes his overall persona.
First, Sonny's moon watching affects those around him. It affects his grandmother because she believes the moon is the devil, and she is very religious. It is hard for her to watch her grandson waste his life watching the moon. Old Jason knows that Sonny is interested in Clara. He tells Sonny to get a hoe and plow instead of playing music or watching the moon. Clara is in love with Sonny, but he does not ask her to marry him. She says she will wait for him but ends up dying after giving birth to Sonny's child.
Second, moon watching had shaped Sonny's path in life. He is restless and goes around playing his guitar rather than get a regular job. While he travels, he can watch the moon. Due to him watching the moon, he is away from his love, Clara, for a very long time and only arrives when she is dying.
Lastly, watching the moon shapes Sonny’s persona. He is artistic and enjoys music. He does not like speaking much but is restless and wanders around. He is not highly educated but is not violent.
In just four pages, Sonny Boy’s life is revealed. He loves watching the moon but does not like speaking. He is raised by a religious grandmother, chastised by Old Jason, and is in love with Clara. His moon watching shaped his life as well as his persona.
Works Cited
Henderson, George W, and David Nicholls. "Man and de Moon." Harlem Calling: The Collected Stories of George Wylie Henderson, an Alabama Writer of the Harlem Renaissance. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 2006. 51-54. Print.
