Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin

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James Baldwin uses Bible stories as a foundation for his own stories. Baldwin once stated, "I was born in the church" ("Notes" 14). He intimately knew and loved the Bible. The King James Bible became his literary text during his Harlem childhood. This is solely because of the fact that he could analyze the text and relate it to his own stories. James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”, exemplifies how his love for the Bible allows him to build a great literary foundation for his writings. Each allusion enables one to begin to see his stories in a different way.

The relationship between the narrator and his brother Sonny closely resembles that of the relationship between Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. The story tells that in order to show their appreciation for God, they were to give a sacrifice. Cain offered a portion of his land, while Abel whole heartedly offered his fattest lamb. At the end of the story Cain killed his brother due to jealousy of how God saw their sacrifices. When God asked Cain where his brother was, Cain boldly answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” I believe that the narrator and Cain are very similar, because of the role they play in their own family. Sadly they are closely related because they both turn their backs away from their younger brothers. There was a crucial part in the story that relates the theses two pair of brothers to each other. When the narrator discovers of Sonny’s arrest he states, “Look. I haven’t seen Sonny for over a year, I’m not sure I’m going to do anything. Anyway, what the hell can I do?” (Baldwin, 321) This statement is similar to the statement of Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” I believe that the narrator feels that he...

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...nswervingly to the "cup of trembling." It is a direct depiction of all of the struggles, downfalls, and difficulties that he and his brother have had to undergo during the course of their lives. Sonny’s brother is finally coming to the understanding it is through music that Sonny is able to convert his suffering into something very beautiful. Sonny is slowly moving towards redemption, and salvation, but his destiny relic’s uncertainty. Conceivably he may continue to suffer. Sonny’s pain closely resembles something Christ-like, but the suffering for Sonny is in a way unavoidable and liberating.

Works Cited

Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.

Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Norton Introduction to Literature: Portable Tenth Edition. Ed. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011. 75-101. Print.

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