Sonny’s Blues
Introduction
This is the heart-rending is the tale of how two extreme approaches through which people deal with the tribulations and trials of life. The story reminded me of my own conflict with my family regarding my choice of career as a guitarist. In the novel, Sonny’s Blues, the author James Baldwin narrates the story of two African-American brothers. The story revolves around the relationship between the brothers and how it changes dimensions with the change in circumstances. The narrator, Sonny’s elder brother, had promised his dying mother that he will care for and look after his younger brother. But, with Sonny’s growing attraction towards Jazz music and drugs, the two brothers fight and argue a lot which finally takes them apart. The narrator then comes to present times when he had read something about his brother in the newspaper and tries to contact him all over again.
The conflict of the essay is the values, both the brothers represent. The story is set in New York of 1950s where segregation was very much in practice as it was the period before the Civil Rights Movement. The conflict between the brothers is depicted via emphasis on jazz music. It was the time when Jazz music was dividing the whole African American community in the same manner as the two brothers. The elder brother belongs to the middle class African American group which tried to ignore the social barriers and impediments in their life. They wanted to follow the belief that it is possible for them to achieve the respectable social status and success in their lives and that they can attain a dignified stature riding of the back of hard work, commitment and perseverance.
They were more than willing to get assimilated in the mainstream white population if given a chance. They believed in trying to achieve a safer and better world for their upcoming generations where discrimination would have been a thing of the past. However, the younger brother, Sonny and other African Americans like him, poor, musician, addicts and unemployed, stood at the other end of the spectrum. They believed in confronting the situation rather than compromising with it. They were adamant on the stand that the whole community of African Americans is bond to struggle for attaining equality and acceptance in the society where the whites are in majority.
They were rebellious and unruly in their attitude on account of the injustice meted out to the African Americans. The theme of our thesis is people should do what they, as an individual, really want to do irrespective of any perceived impediments or handicaps. After all, what else is there in the life other than holding onto your dreams? The purpose of this analysis is to understand the relationship between the two siblings and the basis on which they make the choice of career.
Central Analysis
In Sonny's Blues, Sonny’s elder brother gave him a promise that he will take care of Sonny when their parents dies. Sonny was the youngest child at home and unfortunately, chose the wrong path in starting and becomes a drug addict and end up at a rehabilitation centre for betterment. After he comes out, he meets his brother who asks him what he wants to do, to which he replies that he wants to be a musician. Sonny’s elder brother casts aspersions about his aspirations and even says to himself that he has not been successful in playing the role of a responsible elder brother. Sonny’s brother wants to give wisdom about life to Sonny and this is quite evident from his instincts. By playing multiple roles, the narrator is always stressed about how he wants his younger brother to live his life. In the end of story, the narrator realizes that he should have paid heed to his mother’s advice. His mother had said that Sonny was a good boy and that he knows wrong from right and should be given the freedom to take decisions regarding his life and career.
Baldwin has based the story in the city of Harlem, New York. The city plays an important role in influencing the life of the main characters of the story, Sonny and his elder brother. Sonny was influenced by the drug dealers who dwelled in Harlem and gets addicted to drugs like heroin and then finally enters rehab. However, Sonny doesn’t allow this experience this to affect the trajectory of his life. He bounces back from here after thinking about the mistakes he committed and how he can avoid getting into trouble again. He decides to learn from his mistakes and move on to a better life.
Sonny was adamant and perseverant in his endeavour to realize his dream of becoming a musician and he did not allow his brother’s distraction to keep him away from his quest. Once he was able to get hold of a piano, he left no stones unturned to attain the goal of being a part of a jazz band. Because of his undying passion and love for music, Sonny finally succeeded in his quest and at the end of the story, his dream came true. Moreover, he successfully made his brother realize that Sonny was following the path that his brother had shown him and he has learnt and practiced whatever his brother had taught him about life and success.
Conclusion
The story shows that how different factors and influences affect the life of a person. Sonny’s brother, the city Harlem and his never ending passion for music were the factors that shaped the life of Sonny. Ultimately, Sonny was correct in his decision regarding the kind of life he wanted to live. For this, he allowed certain sources of influences to affect his life more while inhibiting the influences from other sources.
References
- Bigsby, C.W.E, Introduction to The Black American Writer, Vol. 1, Everett/Edwards, Inc., 1969.
- Howe, Irving, "Black Boys and Native Sons," in Dissent, Autumn, 1963.
- Macebuh, Stanley, James Baldwin: A Critical Study, Third Press, 1973.
- Pratt, Louis H., Twayne's U.S. Authors Series: James Baldwin, G.K. Hall & Co., 1978.
- Reilly, John M., '"Sonny's Blues': James Baldwin's Image of Black Community," in James Baldwin: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Keith Kinnamon, Prentice-Hall, 1974.
