A Literary Analysis Of Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

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“Sonny’s Blues” is a story which is seen in the atmosphere of Harlem, which is the historic neighborhood of African American natives in New York City. The community is subjected to the oppression and hatred by white supremacists where the people of color are bashed at their hands every day despite the Harlem Renaissance in 1920 where their rights were restored. The story is a short description of the narrator’s life experiences who described Harlem as a trap for him and his brother. The storyline ahead describes how the author and his brother try to escape this imprisonment. The neighborhood is filled with hatred, and the author explains the scenario of housing projects by stating that they are “rocks in the middle of a boiling sea” which …show more content…

Even when his brother faces charges of imprisonment, he doesn’t give much attention as he is now devoid of compassion for his family owing to being distant from them for far too long. However, it is impertinent to note that “Sonny’s Blues” is not a story of Sonny himself but an unaccounted narrator known as his brother. The underlying theme of the story is to highlight how Sonny’s music was a source of reunion and rapprochement among two alienated brothers. Being a tale of the struggles that the brothers faced together, the facts of story represent how loss and grief can motivate any individual to transform themselves each …show more content…

He struggles to inform his brother of his inner most feelings with his musical compositions as the narrator continually refuses to hear him. The passion and desire to reach out to his brother finally happen when a street survival leads two of them to talk to each other and listen to the honest musical compositions (which helped them overlook their animosity and communicate more freely). The final moment of redemption for the narrator comes along in the same manner while he listens to his brother's music which aids him to understand the pain and struggles of his brother which he had turned a blind eye to all throughout his life. The realization helped him understand his hidden battles and assisted him to grow to be a better

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