The Importance Of Free Will In Sonny's Blues

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Recommended: The nature of free will

The main ways free will is limited in these stories are immediate surroundings, one’s emotions, and authority by either a government or even something divine. The main proponents of free will not existing also tie into their stories irrationality and the inclination to follow emotion. Free will can be limited in many ways. Natural human inclinations can lead on to actions not streamlined with logical thinking. One’s place of birth largely define the life on will lead. Those who support free will, however, only give their characters the option of struggling against these outside forces. Sonny’s Blues, for example, has Sonny try to overcome his surroundings and the natural tendency to try that which is forbidden (drugs) with his passions towards …show more content…

As much as the two brothers struggle to leave, they both end up back when they were born. However, towards the end of the story, Baldwin teases the idea of free will. Had there been no such thing as free will, one would never had to suffer. Suffering arises because of a differences between what one wants and what one has, and so in a way shows that free will exists because one can achieve something. Suffering follows the principle that what is meaningful is not easy. The ease to turn to drugs to escape is a tempting options in this environment. So easy is this option, to an outsider it might appear that no other option is present. “But there’s no way not suffer” the narrators says (54). While the environment might push these people into a downward spiral with their finding ways to avoid this suffering, the ones who accept this reality that suffering cannot be escaped but can be overcome show that humans do have a choice. The music that Sonny plays reflects this attitude. “The tale of how we suffer…and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard” (58). Sonny serves as such an example of someone how was able to overcome the framework and choose a life to live. Whereas Sonny’s Blues shows that free will exists but only thought struggling against possibly one’s surroundings, Gimpel the Fool shows that Baldwin’s attention to the exertion can be solved …show more content…

Singer presents that one’s attitude to the unavoidable creates free will. The conscious choice to not be influenced by the inexplicable of life and maintain a positive outlook give one the necessary choice for free will to exist. Free will, he argues, is largely a matter of attitude. Though Gimpel’s outlook does depend on a strong faith, with it, most of the things that are outside of Gimpel’s control become insignificant. He cannot control his wife’s infidelity but with his outlook, such things don’t matter. At every step, one is able to make the choice to either let the external forces influence your behavior and feeling or consciously know that such forces are just a part of life and continue with your

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