The Struggle In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

“Sonny’s Blues”
James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” is a short story about the entangled lives of two African American brothers from Harlem. The narrator is a military veteran and high school algebra teacher. His brother, Sonny, seven years his junior, is a lost soul with a heroin addiction and a talent for playing the piano. Although the narrator appears to be successful, the story eludes constantly to the darkness, gloom, and despair of growing up in Harlem. The brothers go through periods of estrangement and in the end, they develop a new respect for each other. James Baldwin’s choice of the word blues in the title appears to be related to the state of mind of the characters, rather than the music Sonny played.
In the opening paragraphs, the narrator refers to his students as being like Sonny, full of rage and darkness. His clothes are full of perspiration and he hold his breath until the students leave the room at the end of day. He sees Sonny in them and it frightens him. He hears their cursing and wicked laugh and knows any or all of them are shooting up and can end up like Sonny. This is where life in Harlem leads them.

There is a lot of sadness in their lives.

A car over runs their father’s brother full of drunken Caucasian men and he never speaks of it. Their mother tells them after their father dies and states the he was never the same. When his mother dies, the narrator promises her he will look after the troubled Sonny. The story opens with Sonny’s release from jail for a heroin raid. The brothers have not spoken for a year. The narrator wants nothing to do with him. The death of the narrator’s toddler girl unexpectedly from polio prompts a change of heart and he writes Sonny. The letter is the most emotion the narrator exhibits. He and Sonny reunite but life is not

easy.
On a drive along the housing projects where they grew up, the narrator states that their houses may have vanished, but the new ones are the same. The boys that live there are the same as them: boys that steal, use basements for sex and rooftops to toss bricks and cans from. He states that some escaped the trap, but most didn’t and all left some awful piece behind. The project he lives in to be closer to the school is no better than the one they grew up in. The playground does not have children who jump rope, swing, or roller skate. Instead, children appear after dark. The windows are small, so the inhabitants can hide. He recalls his father stating that there was no place safe for kids, the same being true decades later.
The story’s entire tone is blue (melancholy). Darkness, tragedy and doom are in everything the narrator relates. He talks about being trapped in poverty and oppression resulting in the inability to escape. He doesn’t want Sonny to enlist in the navy or pursue music because it is an impossible dream. Witnessing a barmaid at work, he concludes that beneath her smile he sees the doom of a struggling woman with a battered face.
Each brother takes the path which makes him survive the elements. The answer for Sonny is getting lost in music. The narrator who once was opposed to Sonny’s desire realizes that it is for the good as their relationship evolves. The narrator rides out the traditional course as an educator with a family to provide for. The narrator states that it looks as though they have escaped to others, however, they remain trapped within as a product of Harlem.