"Sonny’s Blues" is a classic short story by James Baldwin. The story is centered on Sonny, story's protagonist, a young man searching for meaning in life by questions about his own identity. In his search for his identity, Sonny finds purpose in music while living in Harlem, NYC. Sonny is black, loves jazz and plays piano. Throughout, Sonny experiences many conflicts. In so doing, music underlies not only his life but also story's main events. Music, or blues, is a means by which Sonny ultimately resolves his own conflicts and finds redemption.
Sonny is a young man struggling to find his own place in life and he has full support from his senior (by six years) brother. The role of family is important in "Sonny’s Blues" since family members help each other out during tough times to overcome life's hardships. Notably, Sonny's family is united by music power, a power which does not only inspire but bonds people together. Jazz, in particular, has deeper meanings well beyond immediate joy and entertainment. If anything, jazz helps express one's deepest emotions. Blues has, moreover, a purpose of externalizing one's finest feelings and most hidden parts in one’s soul. Music is a universal language which, in being quite intimate, is very unique in expressing each person's inner feelings in quite distinct ways. Put differently, Blues provokes one's most honest feelings and is where all soul's secrets reside.
The narrator, who is Sonny’s older brother, is a much reasonable man who values, above anything else, stability and security. Although he is not much older than Sonny, after both parents died, Sonny's older brother became a caretaker, looking after his younger brother's business, not well prepared as he is. He becomes terrified when, learning Sonny got arrested, he reads: “He had been picked up, the evening before, in a raid on an apartment downtown, for peddling and using heroin” (Baldwin 123). Sonny has a vulnerable personality. He keeps his feelings private, which is why he finds opening up for others quite hard. In fact, Sonny's brother is intimidated of having to look after Sonny but he realizes, ultimately, he has no other choice: “And I didn’t write Sonny or send him anything for a long time. When I finally did, it was just after my little girl died, he wrote me back a letter which made me feel like a bastard” (Baldwin 126). The narrator feels guilt for not being there, for his brother. They are reunited only because of unfortunate events, a death (of his daughter) an arrest, Sonny’s arrest.
Sonny's experiences are defined by other important characters as well. For one, Isabel is one such character who, because her husband (Sonny's brother) is drafted is staying with her parents. Isabel's parents are strict but they let Sonny is allowed to play on their piano and, probably because of making Sonny play on piano, are good people. In fact, Isabel's parents cannot understand Sonny. They just seem to make him feel comfortable while working on his music. The narrator says: “Well, I really don’t know how they stood it. Isabel finally confessed that it wasn’t like living with a person at all, it was like living with sound” (Baldwin 137). Music is part of Sonny’s identity which ultimately brings everybody together. Indeed, music, above anything else, can evoke feelings no other mode of expression can do. There is a mixture of feelings of all people who are playing music ensemble. In response, listeners to music experience similar, if not deeper, feelings.
Sonny is a fragile personality who leaves Harlem to get away from a world of drugs. Although he gets arrested, he finds his purpose in life through music and in playing piano which is his only way to connect with anything outside himself, particularly probably with his brother. The music is a key which solves all problems, although life in Harlem is not easy. There are, however, many people in Harlem who just choose music as a life path and for salvation. The narrator does not believe a person’s only profession can be music and he is surprised when Sonny tells him about his decision: “I simply couldn’t see why on earth he’d want to spend his time hanging around nightclubs, clowning around on bandstands, while people pushed each other around a dance floor” (Baldwin 134). If anything, Sonny's older brother lacks his racing imagination and fine sensibility. Yet, both have problems which are decidedly different.
Sonny is determined to become a real artist and he succeeds because he finds supportive people. Earlier, he finds refuge in heroin and justifies his escapism by looking for something solid in life. Apparently, heroin offers a feeling of security but, for sure, only temporarily and, as a consequence, people degenerate. Yet, some people find strength from within and win a good fight against traps in life lurking almost around every corner. Sonny is a person who manages to understand his own feelings and express them through music. The instrument which he chooses is piano and he gets along with other musicians. They support each other and overcome all hardships by art, music and self-expression. The narrator says: “All I know about music is that not many people ever really hear it” (Baldwin 146). If anything, people need to be open-minded and ready to open up to music. In a world of music, nothing is affected but only genuine truth.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. Sonny's Blues. London: Pengun 60s, 1995. Print.
