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Sonny Blue is a short story by James Baldwin writing in 1957 incorporating the major themes of suffering, artistic expression and segregation in a society. It is a story about the narrator who has been successful in creating a secure and stable profession of teaching for himself despite the disparaging pressures that have seen so many black American lead astray (Baldwin 394). The narrator explains his bond with his brother in this story that was hit by stages of separation and return. The book starts when the anonymous narrator of the story while reading the newspaper discovers about his younger brother named Sonny to be imprisoned for selling heroin. He jogs along his memories that retell him of Sonny as a young boy. Apparently, thinking of Sonny reminds him of his students who he thinks could also end up like Sonny someday assuming the limited possibilities, hardships, and obstacles that they will face in the hostile world (Murray 353).
The introductory scenes in the story highlight the issues about the problems a drugs addict may go through, and what psychological and social pressures are faced by his family. The amount of pain Sonny and his brother endures is the most significant aspect of the story. It also helps set up the issue of sufferings in black American people and how different two brothers can be. While Sonny’s brother kept all his feelings locked in, Sonny was able to successfully face all the hardships in his life and landed himself onto a stable profession of teaching. In a protracted flashback, the narrator was reminded about the time when he and Sonny discussed Sonny’s future. Sonny expressed his dream of becoming a famous jazz pianist; however, the narrator disapproved it and asked him to continue studies to which Sonny reluctantly agreed. Sonny skipped school to hang out with musicians in Greenwich Village and this showed his passion for music. However, contrary to his interest, Sonny joined Navy and ended up having no contact with the narrator. This also highlights the issue of encouraging someone to choose what they are good at or what they love to do. Moreover, it also focuses towards the fact that how bad company could spoil an individual.
Apparently, towards the end of the story while having bitter-sweet relationship, the narrator and Sonny were both moved by a heart-rending voice of a woman in the street and this is where Sonny made an offer to the narrator to come to hear him playing the piano. Sonny then makes the narrator understand his sufferings and explained that how music and drugs helped him coping up with the sufferings (Wilner 173). While watching Sonny playing pours out all his suffering and struggles in front of the narrator and makes him hark back his own sufferings. He finally realized that talent of his brother and understood that music is a part of Sonny. The “Blues” performance by Sonny created hope for the narrator himself and showed him a way to cope with his fear and pain. He saw his brother’s music as a genuine reply to life, to renew the story and to start afresh. The narrator becomes conscious about the power of music as a tool of liberation from sufferings. Apparently, understanding the pain and trail of Sonny, he perceived his brother as a dark side of him and perhaps a side with which he can connect to keep the fear and darkness out of their surroundings.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s blues. “Write Me a Few of Your Lines: A Blues Reader. 1991. Web.
Murray, Donald C. “James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues”: Complicated and Simple. Studies in Short Fiction. 1977. Web.
Wilner, Arlene. “Confronting Resistance: Sonny’s Blues--and Mine.“Pedagogy”. 2002. Web.
