Analysis of Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin

Introduction

James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" is the tale of a youthful jazz artist, Sonny, from Harlem, NY, who becomes dependent on heroin, is arrested for using and selling drugs, and returns to his childhood neighborhood after his release from prison. He moves in with his older brother, the story's narrator, and his brother's family. The two brothers attempt to reconnect following an exceptionally tense couple of weeks during which both try to manage their resentment towards one another. Drugs are a central piece of the story, but it's also about family, music, and the struggle to overcome life's challenges. Harlem was Baldwin's hometown, and he was born there in 1924. In his teenage years, he worked as a Pentecostal minister, influenced by his father. However, as he grew older, he moved away from the influence of the church. He got himself a loft in the artist's area of Greenwich Village, NY, and after that, in 1948, partly due to the alienation he felt as a gay Black man in the US, he moved to Paris.

Analysis of "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin

Baldwin's literary reputation blossomed with his semi-autobiographical first novel, "Go Tell It on the Mountain," published in 1953. He's most renowned for his works that explore the experience of being a Black man in America before the Civil Rights Movement. When "Sonny's Blues" was published in 1957, Baldwin was already known in the literary scene. The story appeared in Partisan Review, one of America's most well-regarded journals at the time. Baldwin published it again in 1965 in his collection of short stories titled "Going to Meet the Man." The story, on its own, garnered a significant amount of positive critical attention, though critics had quite different ideas about what the story was really about. Baldwin had established a reputation for writing about African-American causes, so was the tale about race? Some thought so. Or was it about music? Or the dangers of drug use? Or humanity in general? Readers saw all of this in the story. Regardless of which theme critics focused on, most agreed that "Sonny's Blues" was a remarkable piece of literature. The most significant themes throughout Sonny's life are music and suffering. His blues come from the physical and emotional pain he has endured over the years as an outcast and drug addict in a poor African American neighborhood. Without this pain, Sonny would have no material for his music and would be unable to create art.

For the narrator, the most significant theme of the story could be loss. His life has been filled with tragedy: the deaths of his parents, the horrors of war, the loss of his two-year-old daughter to polio, and the agony of watching his brother's life deteriorate. This misery permeates his narrative voice, creating a tone of pain and frustration. Race and racism are fundamental themes in "Sonny's Blues." The narrator and Sonny represent two different paths for African American men: one, education and respectability; the other, crime, drug abuse, and jail time. Baldwin uses his characters to illustrate the harm inherent racism has had on the African American community.

The narrator asserts that the Blues, which are essentially tales of suffering and redemption, are not particularly unique, yet they allow the performer and his audience to connect—and that connection and understanding is the only real respite humanity will have from pain. This reflection on the importance of the Blues is relevant not only to music but to writing. "Sonny's Blues" is, much like the musical structure it was inspired by, a story of pain and salvation. The narrator, lost and disconnected from his roots, finds himself by reconnecting with his younger brother and experiences a moment of transcendence when listening to Sonny's music. Baldwin's writing can thus be understood as an attempt to connect with his audience and foster genuine understanding.

Music allows Sonny not only to find himself but to reconnect with his heritage. Through playing jazz, an African American musical form, Sonny becomes part of a broader community. His music reminds the narrator of his own misery, his mother's and father's suffering, and a broader legacy of African American anguish. Listening enables the narrator to connect with the part of himself he was estranged from: his roots. However, Sonny is not merely reflecting those who have come before him. He evokes his heritage but is not overwhelmed by it. Through experimentation, he asserts his own identity. His music is both universal and personal, both steeped in community history and uniquely Sonny's.

Conclusion

The central thesis in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" involves the relationship of the narrator, an African American math teacher in 1950s Harlem, to his brother Sonny, a jazz pianist who has struggled with heroin addiction. The narrator develops a better understanding of Sonny's blues (his particular struggle) by finally listening to both his brother's words and his music. The essential conversation about suffering occurs after Sonny has listened to a street singer and confided in his brother about her pain, illustrating how music becomes a conduit for empathy and connection. The story suggests that through understanding and shared experiences, healing and reconciliation are possible.

References:

• Baldwin, J. (1953). Go Tell It on the Mountain. Knopf.
• Baldwin, J. (1965). Going to Meet the Man. Dial Press.
• Baldwin, J. (1957). "Sonny's Blues". Partisan Review.