Summary of sonnys blues by james baldwin

The narrator reads about his brother's being caught in heroin-peddling action in the newspaper. He goes through his day's work as a teacher, and is met by a friend of his brother's, who says they will eventually release him but he will be alone. There is then a letter from his brother, written in prison. Later, his brother comes to dinner at his place.

The narrator then thinks back to his childhood in Harlem. His mother had told him to watch over his brother, as the latter shared the same sense of 'privacy' as his father, which meant that they couldn't make the grade unaided. She recounts the way his father's brother was killed by whites running over him with their car, and how she had deemed it taboo for the children.

Later, the narrator goes back to New York for his mother's funeral, and attempts to ask his brother what he wants to do with his life. He tells him he wants to become a jazz musician: a piano player. A little later, it is found out that he has been skipping school and playing jazz instead.

Later, the narrator is taken to a jazz joint where Sonny is performing. Before they go, Sonny tells him that he has taken heroin in the past to help him "deal" with the hardships of life. He uses the experience of addiction to dig from his soul and create his art. Evidently, Sonny's performance holds the audience captive. His music evokes the narrator's epiphany that music can free them (blacks) from racial discrimination as seen in Harlem in the 1960s.

James How does Baldwin's real-life experience connect to his short story, "Sonny's Blues"? Read Baldwin's biography for more background on his life.
James Baldwin lived in Harlem, as Sony did in the story. Baldwin felt that he had to leave the United States to get away from discrimination against African Americans. Sonny in the story became dependent on drugs and felt more normal when he was using them than when he was not. The main reason Sonny wanted to leave Harlem so bad was because he was trying to get away from using drugs. Ultimately Baldwin and Sonny were both leaving to escape from something.

In the final scene, Sonny performs some improvisational jazz. What is improvisational music? What do we learn about Sonny through his performance?…show more content…
Though mostly everyone can relate jazz to its common stereotype of the musician’s possibility of abusing drugs I feel like that is the only significance. The elements of this story that are most important are the understanding of suffering, forgiveness, and redemption.

Compare and contrast the characters of the two brothers in "Sonny's Blues." What sort of person is the narrator? How does he feel about his brother? What do we know about Sonny and his feelings for his brother? Explain.
The narrator is a hard working teacher who has had to struggle to get to where he is currently at in life but didn’t let much get in his way. He greatly cares for Sonny and only wants the best for him. He feels that Sonny is throwing his life away. He sees Sonny as a drug abuser who has messed up countless opprutinites and becomes very unpatient with him until he finally start understanding him. Sonny looks up to his brother and relies upon him. Sonny feels like his brother is only upset with him because he chose a different path than him but the real reason was that he was abusing drugs. After finally meeting in the middle Sonny realizes why his brother may have been so hard on him and both Sonny and his brother find a new respect for one

The story begins as an unnamed narrator, an algebra teacher, reads of his brother’s arrest for selling heroin. He is deeply disturbed. Thinking of his brother reminds him of his students, who face limited possibilities in a hostile world. At the end of the day he is met at the gate of the school by an old friend of his brother, Sonny; the man is a fellow addict. As they talk, the narrator feels guilty for the dismissive way in which he treats Sonny’s friend. At the end of their conversation, he gives him five dollars.

The narrator fails to write or visit his brother for months. After his daughter's tragic death, the narrator finally writes to Sonny and the two develop a correspondence. When he is released, Sonny returns to Harlem to stay with the narrator.

The narrator reminisces about the brothers' past. He recalls the promise he made to his mother to look after Sonny. He had kept this promise in mind when he returned for her funeral. Despite Sonny’s pleas, he forced his brother to move in with his then-fiancée, Isabel, and her family. Sonny eventually ran away to join the military after being confronted by Isabel’s mother for missing school.

The narrator details his daughter’s death of polio: she collapsed one afternoon, unable to breathe. The narrator’s suffering reminds him of his brother’s trials and allows him to begin to understand what Sonny endured.

Back in the present, the narrator contemplates searching Sonny’s room, presumably for drug paraphernalia, but is stopped by a street revival occurring outside his window. One woman has a particularly moving voice that seems to offer people a brief reprieve from their suffering. Sonny, having been moved by the same scene, invites the narrator to come hear him play music and the narrator accepts. Sonny then explains the universal nature of suffering and the ways drugs and music have helped him cope.

Sonny and the narrator go to the nightclub where Sonny is scheduled to play. Everyone at the club knows and respects Sonny well. Sonny struggles during the first set, but finds his stride in the second set. Sonny plays movingly, making the narrator understand his brother’s suffering. The narrator is reminded of his own suffering, and of his heritage. By understanding Sonny, he has come to understand himself.

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