Jazz Literature: The Case of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin

In James Baldwin's Sonny Blues, the theme of jazz as a way of American life in the mid 20th century is portrayed in a struggling young man named Sonny. The narrator, a brother to Sonny, reveals to the audience the twisted life of Sonny; he had been arrested and imprisoned for peddling and using heroin. The narrator's life completely contrasts with that of Sonny in the sense that he works as a teacher and has a stable family. He commiserates with his brother and shows love for him in difficult times. Amidst the troubles, Sonny is depicted as a talented musician who plays jazz at a local bar. Set in Harlem, Baldwin skillfully uses jazz as a metaphorical reference to the American ideals of freedom, collective responsibility, and individualism as emphasized in American democracy.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Jazz was an important tool through which Americans expressed their desire for freedom as one the pillars of democracy in the United States. Sonny is depicted as a young man who is entrapped in crime and addiction. He is arrested and incarcerated for dealing in illegal drugs. After serving his sentence, he comes out of prison and delights in playing jazz. The interest in jazz began at an early stage of his life. Early in the poem, the audience learns that Sonny always whistled simple and complex tunes, which the narrator likens to the whistle of a bird. The tunes sounded cool and full of talent. Despite showing great interest in jazz, the narrator did not approve of Sonny's ambitions. As a teacher, he sees the acquisition of education as the key to the success of Sonny and also as a means to the end of the use and selling of drugs. These expectations put Sonny on a collision course with the teachers and authorities. As evidence in the text suggests, Sonny desires to play jazz as a personal career. This can also be seen as a struggle for personal freedom. That is to say, Sonny seeks for the freedom to pursue what he desires and chooses and not what society or siblings choose for him. Consequently, he enjoys playing jazz and that brings happiness. Though this technique, Baldwin demonstrates the value of freedom as an essential aspect of democracy, at least in the American sense.

Besides seeking for personal freedom as espoused the American ideal of democracy, Sonny is a symbol of the socioeconomic situation of African-Americans in the US society. At the time the poem was published, several events took place regarding the struggle for freedom for blacks. The famous Brown versus Board of Education court ruling and the Civil Rights Movement that followed thereafter are some of the incidents highlighted symbolically by the twisted life of Sonny. As pointed in the previous paragraph, Sonny derives happiness from playing jazz and text evidence reveals that he showed the desire to be a jazz musician from a tender age. In context, the struggle to convince the brother that jazz would create happiness for him, Sonny captures the struggle that African Americans endured in the quest for democracy; the freedom from movement restrictions, the right to vote, and freedom from segregation in public places, among other democratic ideals. Such revelation informs the reader that Sonny's situation results from the constraining circumstances in which he lives.

Collective responsibility is a critical element of democracy. It is a way of life that ensures that enjoyment of democracy is shared with all persons regardless of religion, race, creed, and class, among other categorizations. The narrator was told by the mother to take care of his brother. Perhaps this instruction explains why the narrator allowed Sonny to live with his family. However, Sonny's behavior strains his relationship with the brother who sees jazz as an unimportant area for his brother to venture. Despite the cold attitude of the narrator towards the jazz career preference, subsequent events after Sonny's release from prison indicate that the two brothers gathered together to enjoy jazz. In specific terms, the narrator honored the invitation to attend one of his brother's performances at the local bar. At the event, he realizes that Sonny is such gifted jazz player. As a consequence, he changed his perception about the brother's decision to take jazz as a personal career choice. This symbolizes reconciliation between the two siblings. In a deeper sense, this realization is an embodiment of democracy in the sense that it gives others opportunity to thrive by pursuing what they choose without any hindrance. It also suggests the democratic values of Americans that seek to promote progress for all as progress to everyone means society improves as a whole.

The idea of playing jazz in favor of classwork further depicts the American way of life in the sense that it captures a fundamental principle of democracy that has existed in American public life for centuries; individualism. This is a philosophy of life which seeks to make decisions that they consider beneficial to their own life. In other words, it is all about looking at what course of action which could result in the best outcome for individuals regardless of the concerns of other members of society. In the text, Sonny's pursuit of jazz epitomizes the pursuit for the benefit of one's self. Jazz is the driver of Sonny's ambition. He ignores the expectations of society and that of his brother to explore his talent. Jazz is a type of music that is quite relaxing as it jogs the mind through its soft tunes played various musical instruments. It soothes the soul, and the impact varies from one person to another. As such, Sonny's pursuit of jazz as a career demonstrates the desire to fulfill his inner drive in so far as personal satisfaction is concerned. Put simply, it is the pursuit of personal success. This pattern of behaviors shows a great preference for individualism and American democracy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Sonny's Blues is a classic example of the philosophy of American way of life, especially during the civil rights era. The suffering of Sonny as he attempts to pursue his aspiration reflects the struggles African-Americans had to live through in the 1950s and 1960s in their quest for freedom and civil liberties. Sonny's decision to play jazz as a career against stiff opposition from the brother and society emphasizes the aspect of individualism in the American way of life. The decision of the narrator to support his brother in pursuing the jazz career implies the concept of collective responsibility of society. This is meant to enable all individuals in society realize their aspirations. Overall, jazz music was the soul and meant a lot for many African Americans at the time.