In “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, the theme is based on the evolution of two suppressed brothers. The story is written in 1957 and shows how two black brothers struggle to be brothers or understand one another. The narrator is the older brother, and an accomplished algebra teacher. The younger brother is Sonny, a heroin user who dreams of becoming a famous jazz pianist. The story contains many flashbacks, into their childhood, adding to the visualization. The tragedies and constant suffering can be easily visualized in this short story.
Music becomes the incentive for change, and the narrator quickly learns to not only understand the music and himself, but also his brother Sonny. The story opens with the surprise of the narrator reading in the local newspaper that his brother, Sonny, had been arrested for peddling heroin; this is the beginning point of the growth and development between the two brothers. The discovery of the arrest forces the narrator to face the past and his relationship with Sonny. The narrator is approached at school by an old friend of Sonny, who has come to bring him the news about his brother.
The discussion between them is heated and like two bulls clashing. The heat continues to grow and Sonny’s friend says, “I ain’t smart. If I was smart, I’d have reached for a pistol a long time ago” (594 ). The narrator coldly replies, “Look. Don’t tell me your sad story. If it was up to me, I’d give you one” (594). As they continue to talk, the narrator begins to actually hear him and feels guilty for not listening to him before. This is the first time the narrator shows signs of guilt. The friend then begins to explain how he told Sonny about the effects of heroin and how great it feels.
The tone of the narrator has now lost the hostility, changing into a caring tone. The narrator pretends to not care, but continues to ask questions, “What’s going to happen to him now? ” (595) During this scene, the narrator shows the first sign of his love and care about Sonny. The narrator replies, “Tell me why, why does he want to die? He must want to die, he’s killing himself, why does he want to die” (595) Sonny’s arrest leads up to a letter from the narrator to Sonny. Sonny writes a letter in return and talks about the drug addiction and prison, and compares them both with Harlem. I guess I was afraid of something or I was trying to escape from something and you know I have never been very strong in the head” (596). Sonny shows his need for his brother. Sonny utters, “If I tell you when I’m coming to New York and if you could meet me, I sure would appreciate it” (596). The two brothers have finally begun to communicate again. The letters continue back and forth until Sonny is released. The narrator finally has to face his worries about Sonny and about the life he will live. The narrator feels awkward at first when he picks up Sonny to bring him back to New York.
He really just wanted to hear that Sonny was safe. The narrator seems to refuse the fact that Sonny might not be. This shows this that the two brothers have finally come to understand each other. Though their understanding is limited, it continues to grow a great deal continuously throughout the story. Many flashbacks occur and the narrator recalls some events that bring everything together from the past, present, and their future. Another pair of brothers appears in the flashback, the narrator’s father and uncle. The uncle is a lot like Sonny and was a musician.
One late night the father and uncle were walking home when the uncle was run over and killed by a drunken white man. The narrator’s mother makes the parallels between the uncle and Sonny. The mother says, “I ain’t telling you all this to make you scared or bitter or to make you hate nobody. I’m telling you this because you got a brother and the world ain’t changed” (601). She states all this to her oldest son with hopes he will look after and take care of his younger brother Sonny. The narrator promises his mother by saying, “Don’t you worry, I won’t forget. I won’t let nothing happen to Sonny” (601).
She dies shortly after their dialogue and this adds extra importance to the narrator’s role as a big brother. When Sonny gets out of prison, the narrator forces Sonny to live with Isabel, the narrator’s wife, and her parents, rationalizing it is best. The narrator explains to Sonny the importance of staying in school and graduating. Sonny begs to leave to the Army and exclaims, “Look, brother. I don’t want to stay in Harlem no more, I really don’t” (604). Sonny realized he wanted a life, not in Harlem. Sonny tells his brother of his desires to become a musician and to play jazz. The failure of communication is at its climax.
The narrator finds it ridiculous that his brother wants to play jazz or join the army. The narrator exclaims, “You must be crazy. You goddamn fool, what the hell do you want to go and join the army for? ” (604) When the narrator asks Sonny if he heard him, Sonny replies, “I hear you. But you never hear anything I say” (605). This just further shows that their relationship is again declining. The narrator is desperate to diffuse the situation and reminds Sonny of the piano at his in laws and this seems to work. Later it is discovered that Sonny has an obsession with the piano. Sonny seemed to have nobody but his piano to communicate with.
He played hard and all he could as a voice for his expressions. Isabel’s family tried to pretend the music wasn’t there, but it was impossible. Finally she told the narrator, “that it wasn’t like living with a person at all, it was like living with sound” (605). The narrator shows he is starting to understand what Sonny is going through and his feelings. The narrator stated, “They certainly couldn’t throw him out. Neither did they dare to make a great scene about that piano because even they dimly sensed, as I sensed, from so many thousands of miles away, that Sonny was at that piano playing for his life” (605).
Soon the word is passed that Sonny has quit school to play music at a “white girl’s apartment”(606). Sonny then takes control of his own life and enlists. When Sonny returns a changed man, the narrator refuses to see the transformation in Sonny. The narrator explained, “I didn’t like the way he carried himself, loose and dreamlike all the time, and I didn’t like his friends and his music seemed to be merely an excuse for the life he led” (606). This shows the narrators lack of forgiveness to his brother. It almost seems that there is little hope for the brothers to become close or evolve their relationship.
The narrator begins to feel the power of the gospel music outside his window and explains, “As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them” (608). The narrator realizes the meaning of music and discussing it with Sonny provokes positive conversation at last. The music seems to be the connecting point, or bridge, in their relationship. It finally allows them to understand one another and learn to be there for each other.
The narrator appears to have an epiphany as he and Sonny watch a street revival meeting from their home. They communicate with each other well and this time the narrator listens. Sonny tells the narrator, “Don’t worry. I’m all right now and I think I’ll be all right. But I can’t forget – where I’ve been. I don’t mean just the physical place I’ve been, I mean where I’ve been and what I’ve been” (610). Sonny easily explains to his brother, “her voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes – when it’s in your veins. It makes you feel sort of warm and cool at the same time.
And distant” (609). The narrator finally realizes that the music is an alternative, an alternative to using drugs. He, in addition, becomes aware of why his brother had played the piano so passionately. The change has become complete, shown by the narrators willingness to understand and new found ability to listen to his brother. Sonny’s suffering is real and now the narrator feels it through the music. Sonny invites his brother to a night club to hear him play and the invitation is accepted. The event helps them grow even closer and stronger than ever before.
Creole, Sonny’s group leader, “seemed to be saying, listen, Now these are Sonny’s blues” (613). The characters have changed but more importantly they did it together. Music turned out to be the glue that brought them together and the fuel to their memories. This story takes two brothers on a journey through pain and suffering, yet evolves their relationship into one that is complete. The music becomes the path for two brothers, who have learned to understand each other. Where at the beginning of the story there were no connections. By the end of the story, they become brothers, and they can evolve through music, lasting them both forever…
