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Character Analysis: Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

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My Brother’s Keeper?” When you think of the first relationship of a brotherly bond, you think of Cain and Abel from the book of Genesis. Cain the older brother leaves his younger brother to die by himself. When God came to Cain probing for Abel, Cain responded saying “Am I my brother’s keeper?” What is the responsibility of an older brother? One would verbally express that the older boys are expected to surmise protective roles, such as "visually examining out" for their younger siblings. In “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, you wonder about the relationship between Sonny and the narrator who remains unnamed throughout the text. Being that the narrator is Sonny’s older brother, is he accountable for Sonny and his actions? When playing the big brother role, you are normally expected to protect your brother, teach your brother and even learn from your brother. …show more content…

The older brothers are conventionally the one to set an example for his younger siblings. In “Sonny’s Blues,” the narrator opts to join the army. Before he parted to go, he has a conversation with his mother about his younger brother Sonny. His mother tells him “If anything happens to me he ain’t going to have nobody to look out for him,” (Baldwin 370). Therefore, she asks him to make sure that his brother is okay. She enlightens him a story of about his fathers’ brother who was killed and how it affected his father, visually perceiving he couldn’t protect him from the lifestyle he was living. The narrator made a promise to his mother to keep his brother safe from that last time they spoke. He endeavors to tell his mother that Sonny had good sense, his mother continues to ask him to keep Sonny safe and to watch over him. The narrator admits he forgot his promise to his mother and neglects his brother like Cain neglected Abel (Tachack

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“Sonny’s Blues” is not just about Sonny's decisions and struggles but also about how they affect the narrator. This story is as much about family and brotherhood and the relationship between these two men as it is about the character of

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James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" analyzes a very complex relationship between the narrator and his brother, Sonny. Before directing to the attention of the relationship between these two brothers, we have to first understand the personality of each character. Initially, the narrator has a stable job as a hardworking math teacher and makes an effort to assimilate himself to his surroundings, but has never comprehended his brother, Sonny. Sonny is the complete opposite of the narrator. Sonny separates from his brother to become a Blues musician, though becomes addicted to drugs, such as heroin, in order to control his own feelings.

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After hearing that his younger brother, Sonny, has been put in jail due to drug use, he remembers his childhood, and how they both never did really get along. Both Sonny and the narrator feel a sense of “darkness outside”, and this “darkness” is what creates the miscommunication between the brothers (Baldwin 338). Sonny changed his normality due to not being noticed during his childhood, and the drastic change causes the older brother to feel uncomfortable seeing his brother, because Sonny told him that “he was dead as far as [he] was concerned” (351). Their struggles caused them to lose contact, and to slowly build that invisible barrier between their

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In the middle of Sonny’s Blues, written by James Baldwin, he wrote a scene of the narrator with his mother. ““I don’t know,” she said “if I’ll ever see you again, after you o off from here. But I hope you’ll remember the things I tried to teach you.” ” These two lines left a deep impression on my heart. I felt hollowed out by what the narrator’s mother had said.

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Every time the narrator attempted to control what his brother wanted to do in life, the more he lost power over his brother. Not only did he lose power he lost that deep connection one should have with their sibling. Sonny’s desire to not be powerless anymore gave him the determination to gain power which he could not handle. This lead him to lose all of that power once again. People when reading this should really consider how what they are doing to gain power is affecting others in theirs lives.

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They both went through the same childhood, but handled it differently. The narrator was more mature and had set goals. While Sonny, fell into the depth of his feeling and influences. The narrator cares for his brother and feels as if he has failed him. While his brother feels like he could never truly explain anything to the narrator.

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James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” is a short story depicting the relationship of two brothers, Sonny and an unnamed narrator. The story takes place in the project of Harlem, New York in the early 1950s. The narrator is a high school math teacher. His younger brother Sonny is a troubled musician struggling with his addiction to drugs. Before their mother dies, she asks the narrator promise to her he’ll look after his younger brother when she is gone.

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James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blue’s” makes great use of different literary devices throughout the story. The author utilizes conflict, symbolism, and the narrator’s point of view to give the story a deeper meaning and significance to the story. Sonny’s Blue’s is about an older brother’s relationship and differences with his younger brother, Sonny.

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James Baldwin is a renowned author best known for his work of essays, books and short stories, particularly those which dwell deeply into important social and psychological issues of discrimination, gender inequality, homophobia and so on. One of Mr. Baldwin 's most appreciated literary works is the short story 'Sonny 's Blues ' which focuses on two brothers who grew up together but take different paths in life. The story follows the narrator learning about his brother Sonny 's incarceration due to the use and selling of drugs until his brother gets parole. Throughout the story, we learn about the relationship between the pair and are able to witness the narrators ultimate understanding of Sonny and his ambition. As we continue to observe the impressive short story, we find the most recurring theme to be that of sorrow.

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This was to take up the responsibility that was given to him and to let his brother know that he has someone on his corner. “I was sitting in the living room in the dark, by myself, and I suddenly thought of Sonny. My trouble made his real” (Baldwin 378). This shows that the brother has grown sympathy for Sonny. This is because his daughter’s death caused him to really sit down and evaluate the series of events that has taken place in Sonny’s life.

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The narrator keeps in mind that he has an obligation to watch his brother but he tore apart by his emotions which are shifting from love to hate. The reason is, he is unable to accept fully that his brother can change as much as he cares about him. Since he was young, Sonny is haunted

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As Donald C. Murray has said in his article, “James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues’: Complicated and Simple”, “Images of light and darkness are used by Baldwin… ( Murray 354)”. Also, Baldwin is able to tell a story that can make the reader visualize what is happening to this character Sonny, even though it is being narrated through the eyes and perspective of his older brother. He portrays the older brother as someone who can understand and recognizes the internal struggles of Sonny and be compassionate about them, even though the elder brother does not agree with all the life choices his brother has

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He couldn’t understand him because the best way for Sonny to communicate his feelings was through music, something that he refused to listen to up until he had no choice but to. This turning point shows just how bad things can get, and just how resilient a sibling bond can be. That even though they were on the verge of never speaking to each other ever again, they were able to find common ground and go in a more positive direction towards a stronger

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Doesn’t everyone need to be rescued sometime in life? The narrator in “Sonny’s Blues” struggles with his own identity and finding himself. He has a sense of insecurity and conformity to escape his past and where he comes from. The narrator finds himself focusing on his brother’s mistakes in life when in reality; he is questioning his inner insecurities. The narrator believes he must rescue his brother but realizes first he must find rescue himself.

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When Sonny was released from prison, the narrator automatically judges his brother, “Yet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother I’d never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal to be coaxed into the light” (60); he begins to compare the lifestyle his brother might have lived in the pen, which was most likely terrible and had, but so was the addition to

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