Sonny's Blues Figurative Language

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Throughout the beginning of Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”, readers are left on edge as they are attempting to decipher what exactly happened to cause the narrator’s distress. Specifically, readers know that the word “it” refers to something devastating and uncomfortable, as seen when the narrator states such things as, “It was not to be believed” (Baldwin 122) and “Yes, I already know about it” (Baldwin 124) when referring to the incident and even speaking about it with another individual. However, it is slowly discovered that the word “it” refers to Sonny’s heroin addiction, and readers know this for certain when it is revealed that Sonny was arrested “for peddling and using heroin” (Baldwin 123). Later on in the story, the narrator also begins …show more content…

In fact, it’s just the opposite, for drug use and hardship are topics no one ever blatantly wishes to speak about, hence the reasoning for vague references. More often than not, it is more comfortable for individuals to openly speak or think about a subject if they “dance around it”, meaning that they discuss the topic without directly addressing it. Unsurprisingly, this is the case for the narrator and Baldwin, for they wish to speak about the issue but don’t wish to experience or cause any discomfort. For sometimes, when one speaks about a certain topic, they develop the “special kind of ice” (Baldwin 122) that plagued the narrator in the beginning of the story. This “ice” sends a sickening feeling throughout one’s body, their emotions causing them to feel physically ill despite nothing being wrong. Topics such as drug use and addiction, personal grief, hardships, and strife can all be causes of these feelings when confronted directly, which is why it is helpful to discreetly speak about these issues. Due to this, Baldwin felt it was better to “beat around the bush” and use the word “it” rather than its specific referent in these

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