The bond of brotherhood between Sonny and our unnamed narrator is a fluid theme throughout "Sonny's Blues". Their bond has been tested throughout their lives, as their vastly different life goals and ideas caused them to all but part ways, as shown by the conversation they had in their youth where we learned that Sonny aspired to be a jazz musician while the narrator was thoroughly devoted to schoolwork. Despite the roadblocks in their paths, they end up restoring that bond, and proving to each other that both lifestyles are valid ways of making meaningful contributions to their community while staying true to themselves.
The narrator's viewpoint is that of maturity and responsibility. He takes the more "socially acceptable" path by staying in school, going through college, and becoming an algebra teacher. Through his rigorous efforts, he manages to escape and avoid the hardships that most of Harlem appears to face. However, instead of leaving Harlem behind, the narrator sticks around and provides education to the place that raised him, giving back to it. He shows concern for the students he teaches too, showing a compassionate side that some teachers seemingly lack. The narrator feels responsible for his community, and demonstrates it by giving back to it instead of traveling to a fancier or richer university or school district. His sense of responsibility is also shown from his promise to his mother to keep Sonny safe, which is partially responsible for their reunion. Despite not fully understanding his brother's values and ideals, he still feels connected to him, writing a letter to him after his daughter's death, and even stepping into Sonny's world of jazz at the nightclub at the end of the story.
Sonny's path was much rougher due to the many struggles that come with the of life as a performer. His passion for music instead of academics drove him to a rougher life that eventually resulted in drug addiction and his incarceration. Yet despite the challenging hand he'd been dealt, Sonny manages to pull through and, with help from his fellow musicians, regain his old energy and passion for jazz. Sonny's contribution back to society is the music he plays that provides an escape for the members of the club. The heart and soul he pours into his playing shows from the narrator's reaction to the music as, despite not liking jazz music, he ends up in tears by the end and feels an even stronger connection to Sonny. Music has always been used as a coping mechanism, and Sonny's passion undoubtedly provides some escape for anyone who hears it. In my opinion, the story's ending couldn't be more fitting, as it shows just how much Sonny and the narrator can do for their community individually, while simultaneously bringing the two of them more together than ever before.
The narrator's viewpoint is that of maturity and responsibility. He takes the more "socially acceptable" path by staying in school, going through college, and becoming an algebra teacher. Through his rigorous efforts, he manages to escape and avoid the hardships that most of Harlem appears to face. However, instead of leaving Harlem behind, the narrator sticks around and provides education to the place that raised him, giving back to it. He shows concern for the students he teaches too, showing a compassionate side that some teachers seemingly lack. The narrator feels responsible for his community, and demonstrates it by giving back to it instead of traveling to a fancier or richer university or school district. His sense of responsibility is also shown from his promise to his mother to keep Sonny safe, which is partially responsible for their reunion. Despite not fully understanding his brother's values and ideals, he still feels connected to him, writing a letter to him after his daughter's death, and even stepping into Sonny's world of jazz at the nightclub at the end of the story.
Sonny's path was much rougher due to the many struggles that come with the of life as a performer. His passion for music instead of academics drove him to a rougher life that eventually resulted in drug addiction and his incarceration. Yet despite the challenging hand he'd been dealt, Sonny manages to pull through and, with help from his fellow musicians, regain his old energy and passion for jazz. Sonny's contribution back to society is the music he plays that provides an escape for the members of the club. The heart and soul he pours into his playing shows from the narrator's reaction to the music as, despite not liking jazz music, he ends up in tears by the end and feels an even stronger connection to Sonny. Music has always been used as a coping mechanism, and Sonny's passion undoubtedly provides some escape for anyone who hears it. In my opinion, the story's ending couldn't be more fitting, as it shows just how much Sonny and the narrator can do for their community individually, while simultaneously bringing the two of them more together than ever before.
I think the gradual bond strengthening between Sonny and the narrator is definitely a prominent theme in the story. Baldwin expertly crafts this theme by starting off with a seemingly distant brotherly relationship. Not only does the narrator not know the whereabouts (or situation) of Sonny, he learns of his arrest through a newspaper. In a way, Sonny is treating the narrator as any other stranger in the community, left to learn about his arrest through a source of public news open to all. By starting off at such a low point, he is able to develop the bond and through family, music, and communication, achieve their eventual connection.
ReplyDeleteNice post. To be honest thought, I didn't find the narrator all that impressive in spite of his "moral uprightness." I thought that the end of the story was more a matter of Sonny forgiving the narrator than the narrator forgiving Sonny, because the narrator's passive aggression and disapproval, while not strictly responsible for Sonny's decline, definitely didn't make it any easier on his brother. I think the ending is laid out in a really moving way, because we get to sort of see the narrator take Sonny's life and passions seriously for the first time ever.
ReplyDeleteI agree Baldwin does a really good job depicting the sibling relationship between the narrator and Sonny. The two of them are quite different, especially in terms of what they see as acceptable. While the narrator values academics the most, music is more important for Sonny. Despite these differences though, the two brothers are finally able to respect each other and find a connection at the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you saw the narrator in such a high light. Like Stella, I did not actually have a very high opinion of the narrator when I read this story. I did not think about how each of the brothers was giving back to the place they came from though and I think that's really unique and quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe ending is really quite satisfying. It's such a beautiful description, and it ties together this relationship of the "mature", hardworking, academic older brother, and the younger, more free-spirited, artsy younger brother, giving the former more of an understanding for the latter. The narrator really feels like he has to be the sound one in many scenarios, but the extended metaphor of the jazz music really takes this math teacher and transports him into a greater understanding of creativity.
ReplyDeleteI like that you look into what Sonny and the narrator "gave back" to their community and how understanding each others' method of "giving back" is sort of what put their relationship on a better track. I hadn't really looked at the characters that way but it puts the narrator in a very new light for me.
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