Use Of Symbolism In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

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The bond of brotherhood is a prize to be cherished by those who know this bond. There is no better friendship than that of siblings, no matter how far apart geographically two brothers may be; they are always brought together by the bond in their heart. Even when brothers do not see eye to eye or have an argument, they will still be brothers and be a part of each other and their lives. The story, Sonny’s Blues, by James Baldwin uses many literary devices throughout this story such as his use of symbolism, his use of the setting and his use on tone to demonstrate the theme in the story, which is the strength of the bonds of brotherhood.
The first literary device used by Baldwin was h use of symbolism throughout the story. Jazz symbolizes two very different things for both brothers throughout this story. For the narrator, it represents the thing and group of people who took his brother away and then turned his brother into a heroin addict. The narrator blamed jazz for Sonny’s drug problems, and the thought of jazz makes him angry and bitter. Then for Sonny it’s a completely different ...

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