Narrative on James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues Essay

Sonny's Blues is a short story told in the first person from unnamed narrator's point of view who in the story we find to be Sonny's brother. The narrator becomes an exciting icon throughout this story since he, in most cases throughout the story tells us about Sonny's story that makes him a peripheral character rather than a central character. However, the story " Sonny's Blues is also his story since the story is not only about the struggles and decisions of Sonny, but how these impact his life as well.

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In James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues short story, the central conflict is of man versus man. However, the external conflicts on this story include man versus nature, society vs. Man society and man vs. powers beyond the natural realm. The external conflict of man vs. the community shown in a way that the drug addicts are releases and treated. These people cleaned from using heroin, let back to the society (streets) and end up falling back into the same trap and habit of drugs. In the story, there is no mention of any assistance upon the release of a drug user and the chance of inevitably returning to drug use is certain.

Sonny's brother, the narrator stays out of drugs for a prolonged time. "And I didn't write Sonny or send him anything for a long time. When I finally did, it was just after my little girl died..." Man vs. Nature external conflict is evident when the narrator's daughter succumbs to Polio. When Sonny was responding to his brother's (narrator) letter, he introduced a Man vs. God external conflict. He indicates, "I do not know what good it does to blame it on the Lord. But maybe it does some good if you believe it" James Baldwin gives another instance of Man vs. society external conflict where the narrator and Sonny drove past their former neighborhood, everything changed despite the nothing changing yet.

Sonny Blues, James Baldwin's story is an excellent short story containing essential and good events that are effective. How the short story is written is very effective. This is because it is written in an urban setting, showing multiple themes including forgiveness, second chances, choices in life and fraternal relationships. In addition, it shows what it entails to become artistic and indicate negative and positive aspects of growing in an urban region. This story is effective since it speaks about an African- American experience in the United States in late 1950 a time that the African-American voices represented the country's literature. James is especially adequate to describe the experience of transcendent experience of a listener who immersed oneself in the jazz improvisation artistry and the watching of jazz. The narrator hears the suggestions of memories, lamentation, struggle, and triumph in Sonny is playing besides capturing the zeitgeists of the 1950 jazz scene in New York.

Flashbacks in Baldwin's story are the memories from Sonny's brother recurring at special occasions in the narration with the aim of advancing in the development of themes and the character. James, the author of Sonny's Blues, composes songs for Charles besides being a close friend and ally to the trumpeter Davis Miles. This illustrates the musicality of Sonny's Blues whereby the recurring motifs are used along with the flashbacks. One of the significant flashbacks in the short story is perhaps the memory of the daughter of the narrator that brought the narrator to the understanding of his brother's problems and pains. This is clear from the text "My trouble made his real." In addition, another flashback is the narrator's memory of his mother that he should look out for Sonny.

The mother's story about Sonny's uncle who was senselessly killed moved the narrator since, like Sonny, the uncle had trouble with "getting through the real world" despite being musical. The flashbacks lead to the narrator to an understanding of Sonny and willingness to take him to a nightclub to listen to Sonny's music. First, the flashback is essential in the story since it informs and teaches the readers to learn how to understand people's situations in life. This is because the narrator exempted the mother's request of taking care of Sonny. The narrator later learns the situation his brother is in after losing his daughter. We should, therefore, learn to assist and understand others not until we encounter challenges of a similar kind.

In the short story by James Baldwins, some of the religious symbols in the story include the cup of trembling from the book of Isaiah. Biblical symbolism has been used throughout the story despite little analysis by authors. One astonishing fact if the Author Baldwin has a strong history with Christianity. : Wake up and stand up Jerusalem which has drunk from my cup of furry; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup trembling and wrung them out" Isaiah 51:17. This biblical passage tells the children of Israel that they are terrified of Gods, fury and have suffered.

God promises his people that they will drink no more from the cup of furry. Instead, He will deliver the cup to their enemies. Therefore, this passage in the bible signifies hope for the children of God same to Sonny and the narrator who was affected by misery and fear. Thus, they will be plagued no more. There are four fears when drinking from" cup of trembling," they include death, famine, destruction, and devastation. Darkness is symbolic throughout the story until when Sonny story of redemption emerges when he returns to playing piano that the author uses a religious phraseology to depict the scene. The story ends with the narrator sending a drink to Sonny who places the cup on the piano" where it glowed and school above my brother's head likes the cup of trembling."

The plot of Sonny's Blue story is significant in telling the story. This is because the story entails a list of fundamental ingredients like first situation, denouement, conclusion, climax complication, and conflict. The initial situation starts by the narrator reading about his brother's apprehension due to using and selling heroin. This starts the story since the narrator uses flashback since Sonny's drug is central to the story. It, therefore, gives the reader a flow and understanding of how the themes and situations unfold as the story continues.

The next plot is the conflict, showing the first conflict between the Sonny and the narrator concerning Sonny's passion for being a jazz piano player. It is followed by a complication that seems like a solution to Sonny's problem only for the situation to get worse. The plot allows a chronological flow of events in the story without leaving readers hanging. The story is about redemption since it starts with a situation that the narrator and Sonny are in deep pain, anger, alienation, and suffering until he contacts the brother that commences the long process of redemption. The story is about recovery since at the end of it all; it shows the redemption of Sonny from drugs.