Analysis Of James Baldwin 's ' Sonny Blues '

In this quote Baldwin presents the main idea of this chapter. The purpose of presenting this main idea is to give readers insight into what they are about to read. He begins this chapter by stating that he wrote novels as a child. Baldwin then goes on to talk about his childhood, and how his father was not always proud of him, while his mother was often delighted with his writings. He also writes about the hardships that he faced as a negro writer. One of his problems was that many

James Baldwin, an African American author, grew up in Harlem, New York. Baldwin had no one to share his love for literature with. Baldwin’s father was opposed of him following the literature career path James Baldwin however, did receive support from the mayor and his English teacher. Baldwin abandoned his parents home at the age of 17, to settle into

Fictional writing is generally done just to entertain readers. Some authors create stories with a singular point of view, while others introduce more complex plots and storylines. When it comes to author James Baldwin’s short story Sonny’s Blues, there is much depth given to the storyline and the characters. Sonny’s Blues has been analyzed by many different people throughout time because the story has many elements. From Baldwin’s skillful use of metaphors and similes to his incorporation of religious references, this story is insightfully and complexly written. A simple story about a man and his brother leaves readers with an inside look into family, drug addiction, socioeconomic struggles in the Black community, and the language of Jazz

James Baldwin was a famous write who talk about issues that were affecting society. He mainly wrote about racist discrimination, Baldwin was a victim by the daily judgments attitudes of the community. He was influenced by the situation of blacks in his country as well as his personal experience of poverty when he lived in Harlem. For instance in the sonny’s blue reading, the narrator mentioned he lived in a housing project and he said “I had the feeling that I was simply bringing him back into the danger he had almost died trying to escape”. The narrator and his bother sonny knew how dangerous, poor, and neglect neighbor they were living. Even sonny said “I wanted to leave Harlem so bad was to get away from drugs”. In the reading, he also focused in the importance of brothers boundaries. The relationship between sonny and the narrator had the good and bad moments; when they were little they were closed to each other. We can tell by the way the narrator recall the moment sonny was born, the dreams of sonny of going to India, and the fact that sonny loved to read about people specially nature. For instanced he remembered that “I caught him before he fell when he took the first step he ever took in this world”. However, this boundaries were falling apart when their mother died and the narrator decided to went to the army. He clearly reflected the importance of the cultural and political revolution that changed the county in the World War II. The narrator mentioned the time

The narrator did in fact rise by becoming a teacher and sonny try to rise above by becoming a jazz musician. The darkness that was mentioned could be viewed as sense of general hopelessness that pervaded African Americans back when Baldwin was writing these short stories. The darkness in this story could be referred to the effects of racism; the suffering that is spoken about in the story perhaps could have been inherited from generation to the next in the African American community. Baldwin constantly mentions the Harlem Renaissance in all of his writings, the Harlem renaissance was very important to African American literature because it was it brought new attention to it. During the renaissance African American literature along with black art and music began to be followed by mainstream America.

He went to prison, got another chance, and with the help of his family was able to turn his life around. Being an African American in the slums of Harlem definitely had an impact on Sonny’s life.   Works Cited Arthur, James. "Explanation of: 'Sonny's Blues' by James Baldwin." LitFinder Contemporary Collection.

James Baldwin’s novel Sonny’s Blues puts focus on the relationship between the narrator and Sonny whom are siblings. The narrator feels obligated to watch over Sonny as a result of his mother’s dying wish. The story takes place in Harlem as the center of African American culture at that time, a neighborhood deeply affected by poverty and crime, where there was once a culturally enthusiastic community of artists and musicians. The use of symbols such as light and darkness and Sonny’s experiences with music all contribute to the theme of hope, warmth and despair expressed in the relationship between the siblings and the setting of Harlem.

ntroduction: James Baldwin, author of Sonny 's Blues, once said, "I grew up with music...much more than with any other language. In a way, the music I grew up with saved my life" ("Session 3 Inquiry: Rudolfo Anaya and James Baldwin," 2015).  Blues becomes Sonny 's "drug" and his addiction to it his salvation.

In James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues,” one of the most pertinent themes throughout the story is the contrast and duality of light and darkness. More specifically, the author explores this theme by using light and darkness to explain the characters coming to terms with their realities and the realities of many people who live in their community. The theme also is key in explaining the relationship between Sonny and the narrator. In this paper, I intend to explain the significance of the tension of identifying one’s reality in “Sonny’s Blues,” by exploring the many instances that Baldwin uses light and darkness to explore one’s reality.

James Baldwin, the author of Sonny’s Blues, had a strong religious background that was reflected in his works through retellings of biblical stories in the modern age. Sonny’s Blues is primarily a retelling of the biblical parable of The Prodigal Son, but throughout the story we can see similarities with other stories found in the bible. The forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge becomes the drug heroin. Cain and Able, along with the two boys in The Prodigal Son, become Sony and his brother the Narrator. In the end the cup of trembling is mentioned, symbolizing an end to troublesome times and a fresh start in life. It is through the combination of these stories that we see the fall from grace and redemption of both Sonny and the Narrator.

Hicks says “According to Baldwin, Harlem was a ‘dreadful place . . . a kind of concentration camp’” (Hicks). The time period and setting of the story is in Harlem during the 1950’s. Hicks even identifies that “Baldwin

James Baldwin's, the short story "Sonny's Blues", is among one of the examples of the struggles, that African-Americans faced in Harlem during the 1950s. The main characters, the narrator, and his brother Sonny are two black men living in a predominantly poor community in Harlem. In this story, the two men struggle to find their self-identity and overcome personal struggles. Although, the narrator takes on the responsibility of taking care of his brother, he was not able to live up to the promise to keep him out of harm's way in the bleak area of Harlem, which caused conflict between the two brothers because Sonny, was the type of person who was going to do what he set his mind to, and follows his passion for music, which ultimately, brought

The story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin hits home to my own personal life. In the story, a man learns that his brother is in jail and he is hooked on drugs. This story relates to my life because I have experienced something similar. Not only do I think that it can relate to my life, but so many other people who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. My father passed away due to a drug overdose. After his passing, we learned that my teenage brother had picked up on his habits and had been using since his preteen years. James Baldwin wrote a story in first person of a man who was internally struggling with the issue of whether

James Baldwin was a significant African American author who wrote novels, stories, essays and contributed a great deal to Black Literature and Art. He went through many trials in his lifetime, from dealing with issues regarding his family to questioning his identity being a black man when racism is at an all-time high, homosexual and also religious skepticism. Baldwin knew himself but he always had problems figuring out his identity. All of his novels that will be mentioned are all examples of him trying to work through the new odds of that identity. His novel “Go Tell It On a Mountain” paints a vivid picture of his life and his views about religion and family life in the black community. While “Sonny’s Blues” tells a story of brotherly love,

Darkness can be found everywhere in life. It is easy to be consumed by the struggles and forget one’s true self. That is why even in the darkness, light is often sought. Life has a strange way of teaching lessons that show that even in the darkest circumstances light can still always be found. The conflict between light and dark ultimately guides Sonny and the narrator in their journey to overcome their internal struggles. In the short story Sonny’s Blues, James Baldwin uses darkness and light to show struggles and, transformation as both brothers teeter between the different shades of the blues, using music as a way to bring them both to redemption.