Analysis of Bigotry Presented in Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin

Introduction

Bigotry is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, often rooted in racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another. Bigotry was a significant issue in the 20th century as racism became socially taboo. America's peculiar phenomenon morphed into an interlocking complex of institutional practices, presenting extraordinary challenges for Black Americans. The short story "Sonny's Blues," written by James Baldwin, considers how society operates today, with a focus on institutional bigotry. Institutional bigotry is portrayed in the manner by which individuals experience the ill effects of prejudice since it is embedded in societal structures like the police, the legal system, and organizations, as depicted in Harlem during the 20th century.

Analysis of Bigotry in "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin

The story follows two brothers, who are depicted as very different people with their own life values and perspectives. Each of them faces individual problems and conflicts. In their interactions and attempts to become a united family, they encounter new challenging situations and conflicts. The major conflict for Sonny is his heroin addiction and constant suffering. He lacks the willingness, inner strength, and self-control to live better, not only for his own sake but also for his family and those who care about him. "Sonny's Blues" raises questions that resonate with our current society and deserve to be discussed, explored, and addressed. James Baldwin brilliantly organizes the plot and selects the right characters to highlight these issues. Prejudice is the underlying theme coursing through "Sonny's Blues." It is rarely mentioned directly, yet its influence is constantly felt.

Baldwin mentions decrepit housing projects that rise out of Harlem like "rocks in the middle of the boiling sea" (Baldwin, 1957). These housing projects result from local and government segregationist housing policies, representing the impact of bigotry on a downtrodden community. Similarly, much of the narrator's anxiety for his students can be attributed to the fact that they, like Sonny, are young African American men living in a system that relentlessly oppresses them. Baldwin was inspired to publish this story in 1957, following the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education. However, it wasn't until the Civil Rights Act of 1960, signed by President Eisenhower, that desegregation began to have some effect, as several states had defied previous rulings.

On May 24, 1963, James Baldwin assembled a group of Black leaders who met with Attorney General Robert Kennedy to discuss race relations (Gates, 2017). Baldwin had grown up in Harlem, which he described as a "dreadful place... a kind of concentration camp" because it was "dehumanizing" (Baldwin, 1963). With this insight, Baldwin reveals that due to racism, African Americans were often seen in impoverished areas with little to lose during that time. Bigotry can have a profound social impact on a person, causing them to suffer in their current lifestyle. As Baldwin passionately argues, this suffering is inescapable. This suffering is symbolized throughout the work by darkness, which encroaches upon the lives of the narrator's family and community, something to be borne and endured. Sonny explains that his heroin usage is an attempt to cope with suffering that would otherwise paralyze him. Yet suffering, for all the pain it causes, is essential to both art and redemption. Sonny comments on "how much suffering must have had to go through" in order to sing so beautifully (Baldwin, 1957).

One can imagine that Sonny's music comes from similarly dark experiences. Suffering and darkness, if used creatively, can produce works of unparalleled beauty. Suffering also confers the ability to understand and feel true compassion for others, which is essential for redemption. Prejudice can take numerous forms and affects a multitude of individuals today. There is the obvious everyday racism, where individuals are called names, abused, and harassed. Then, there is a subtler form of prejudice, which makes it harder for people to find jobs or housing because of their skin color or nationality. All forms of bigotry involve making assumptions and stereotypes about people who are of a different color. These stereotypes often see other people as inferior and are used to justify the exclusion of individuals from opportunities, resources, and power.

Even today, some authorities, politicians, and segments of the media promote racist ideas to justify their views on certain issues. These might include unemployment, housing shortages, and crime. According to the ESRI, in 2006, 25% of Black individuals reported being racially abused or threatened in the past year (ESRI, 2006). This can relate to how Sonny was committing a crime by abusing drugs due to experiencing prejudice and being an outsider in a predominantly White society. Ireland's social issue with bigotry is where Ms. Fitzgerald provides a brief description of Ireland as monocultural, ignoring its small indigenous Black population, the increasing numbers of European, African, Asian, and Middle-Eastern residents, as well as 21,000 Irish travelers, all of whom live with prejudice and discrimination. Her own sense "of not belonging and of not being fully understood," she says, made her question "whether I had the right to bring a child, whose cultural origins would be as complex as my own, into such an unthinking society" (Fitzgerald, 2019). "My experience of racism in Ireland began as a student," she recalls. "In a small city where Black women were virtually non-existent, I was particularly conspicuous on and off campus. My middle class, Black femaleness was perceived as `exotic', `exciting', `dangerous'. I was stared at, often to the point of rudeness, particularly when walking through the college canteen, a torture I soon gave up.” These feelings of 'inferiority and unacceptable difference' continued when she began to work in Ireland, and later when she married an Irishman.

Conclusion

The text relates back to how the Narrator and Sonny suffer from the world they live in and the pain they have endured their entire lives. "The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. It's what they've come from. It's what they endure. The child knows they won't talk anymore because if he knows too much about what's happened to them, he'll know too much too soon, about what's going to happen to him" (Baldwin, 1957), indicating that suffering can be passed down from one generation to the next. The parents want to protect the children for as long as they can, but they know that suffering will be an inevitable part of their lives. But for now, the children can remain blissfully ignorant of what's looming ahead.

James Baldwin accomplished many things through the writing and publishing of "Sonny’s Blues." Not only does the story serve as a memoir into the lives of African Americans in Harlem during the 1950s, but it also portrays the struggles often faced in relationships regarding ethical and moral values and responsibilities. Taking everything into account, "Sonny's Blues" can reflect what is still happening today in Ireland, where individuals continue to experience the effects of institutional bigotry as of 2019.

References

• Baldwin, J. (1957). Sonny's Blues. Partisan Review.
• Baldwin, J. (1963). The Fire Next Time. Dial Press.
• ESRI. (2006). Report on Racial Abuse in Ireland. Economic and Social Research Institute.
• Fitzgerald, N. (2019). Experiences of Racism in Ireland. Journal of Irish Studies.
• Gates, H. L. (2017). The Annotated African American Folktales. W. W. Norton & Company.