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Depression In Sonny's Blues By James Baldwin

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Most of us have struggled in our lives with depression because of the pressure with academics and also expectations that our families and friends have from us. Some deal with this stress by doing something fun doing their free time or taking a break. The story of the man named Sonny shows us that inner hope which sparks whenever we face very stressful situations. This short story called, “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, shows us that any kind of problem can be channeled to make a positive output if we put enough effort in what we do for others and ourselves. At first, The narrator was not convinced in helping his brother Sonny to get over his drug abuse during prison because he was not able to see the problems that lied within his brother …show more content…

The “missing member” which aches inside them is like two sides of the same brain that can no longer talk to each …show more content…

The individual struggles that they took on alone because of their anger from the environment has forced them to live together as family in the dark streets and corners of Harlem. In page 15, the narrator says, “The coppery sun brought out the copper in his skin he was very faintly smiling, standing very still Then the singing stopped, the tambourine turned into a collection plat again. The furious man dropped in his coins and vanished, so did a couple of the women, and Sonny dropped some change in the plate.” This underlying truth in the plate shows the symbolism of salvation when throw all our struggles away by the coin which we generously give. Sonny and the others gave coins out to resemble all that hatred and suffering that they wanted to take away from themselves like a confession in Christianity. The anger they all felt was present all over Harlem and used the struggles of the lower classes of people to generate profits in their businesses. The constant tension between their warmth and the personal problems they have of each other also symbolizes the constant conflict that repeats in the story about light and darkness which haunts their every move. In page 1, the narrator describes that the kids were “filled with rage. All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on

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Even when light is shown on the streets of Harlem, the darkness consumes it. Baldwin describes the physical symbol of light as he tells of Sonny’s Uncle being murdered, he writes, “there was a moon that night, it was bright like day…the minute his brother stepped…into the road, in the moonlight” (Baldwin 101). Light is shown to be just as dangerous as darkness is in this story. If Sonny’s Uncle had not stepped out into the light and tried to escape the darkness, then he would not have been murdered. Darkness is shown to inhabit the light within Sonny’s place of refuge.

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