The Struggle In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

“Sonny’s Blues” a story written by James Baldwin is about two brothers who are trying to rebuild a relationship that has fallen apart when they were young. Sonny who is serving time to for selling and being addicted to drugs and the Narrator which is Sonny’s brother who manage to escape the dark and dangerous side of Harlem, and becomes a successful math teacher, married, and have two wonderful children. Even though the title is “Sonny’s Blues” the conflict really is based on the Narrator and the changes he encounters throughout the story with himself as well as with Sonny.

The story takes place in Harlem, New York a time when beaten prostitutes walk the streets; men feel the weight of the world on their shoulders who find themselves smothering in their homes which are considered a miserable and depressing way to live. Baldwin chose the Narrator to tell the story so that we as readers can view Sonny through his eyes. Even though Sonny struggles with drugs, the Narrator struggle with things as well. Even though Harlem has been home for the Narrator his entire life, he still felt

trapped like everyone else did even though he found success like many other men who manage to escape the street life. He knows that it is his responsibility to care for Sonny, but it takes him a while to get over the doubt of helping as best he can. He is not the one to open up and share his ideas and emotions and he tries to keep the communities dark side as far away from his memory as possible, but it’s when his daughter dies he then felt the need to reach out and write to his brother; apologizing for not being there when he was needed the most.

When Sonny is released from prison and returns back to Harlem his brother is waiting for him and allows him to live with him and his wife. Things were awkward at first, but it took the wife to break the silence. As time passed the bother still felt that Sonny may be still using drugs and felt the need to search the room. The singing and praying outside of the apartment stops him from beginning the room search and he also notices Sonny standing watching. When the revival had ended Sonny return to the apartment and the two brothers get into an argument that couldn’t be avoided.

Sonny opens up about how drugs were a way to escape and how he was suffering.

He explains to his brother how playing the piano makes him feel and all he wants to do is play. He tries to explain to his brother the narrator how and what lead to him being on drugs, but the brother doesn’t want to hear Sonny and feels that the music is what lead to the heroin, and tell Sonny how angry he is that he chose to end his life by being addicted. Sonny gets angry as well and lets his brother know how he felt about not reaching out after he was arrested, not accepting how people have different ways of dealing with things, and not understanding that the music or being a musician did not lead him to drugs. After the two express their feeling and cool off the narrator realized that he was just worried about his little brother and made a promise to himself that he would take care of him from here on

out.

Sonny wants to invite his brother the narrator to come hear him play at the night club. When they arrive at the club an old friend of Sonny greeted him and tells him that he was waiting for his return. Lots of people who know Sonny have been waiting on his return after his long absent. At that moment Sonny’s brother realizes that he was in Sonny world and as he sits a watch he finally gets what Sonny has been trying to get him to understand about the music, about being a musician and suffering he endured. The narrator sends Sonny a drink thinking he didn’t notice it but he takes a sip nods to his brother and goes back to playing the piano.

Being trapped both physically and emotionally the brothers struggle to break free from one barrier or another. The brotherly love that’s between the two extends beyond into the community as a whole. Harlem is overwhelmed with drugs, poverty, and frustration, yet everyone in the community comes together to watch over and protect each other. The story “Sonny’s Blues” is a struggle between light and darkness, failure and improvement. It is a warning tale about the decisions we make now can affect us for a long time to come.