Substance Abuse In James Baldwin's Sonny

Sonny was free-spirited, adventurous, and artistic. The narrator (Sonny’s brother) implies that Sonny and his brother grew up in Harlem, a less than impressive section of New York. It is obvious that Sonny aspires to leave Harlem; his reason being that he is not learning anything in school and he was unhappy with the environment he was living in (453). Sonny was not inherently a bad person; he only wanted more for his life than simply going to school and living in an unremarkable neighborhood. It was as if something was missing in his life and he was searching for it. However, he really did not know what that something was, and because of his lack of direction, he began to go down a destructive path using drugs. Sonny’s brother (whose

When he was a young man, his heroin use landed him in prison. His older brother was deeply hurt because he knew Sonny had potential to be better than his lifestyle choices. Even after Sonny had been out of prison for a while and was living with his brother, Sonny’s brother still had the urge to search his room for drugs (455). On several occasions, Sonny’s brother had been concerned with Sonny’s choices, but often ignored those feelings because he did not want to because the truth was painful. An example of this is at the beginning of the story when Sonny’s brother reads about Sonny’s arrest (440).As long as his suspensions were not confirmed, he could pretend that they did not exist. Sonny did not confide in his brother about his drug use until the end of the story. He did not say the exact words, but his brother clearly understood what Sonny

Near the end of the story, Sonny and his brother have a sincere conversation about how painful life can be (458). Sonny’s brother states that it is better to just deal with pain rather than try to make it better with drugs. Sonny responds by saying: “You’re just hung up on the way some people try [to deal with suffering]-it’s not your way!”(458). His brother responds by telling Sonny that he cares for him and does not want to see him die because of his lifestyle choices. During their conversation, Sonny tells his brother about his past. He also revealed to his brother that his reason for wanting to leave Harlem: “was to get away from drugs.”(460). Sonny also told his brother about his fear of falling back into that lifestyle. This conversation marks the first time his brother actually listened to what Sonny had to say, instead of dismissing him. This is a significant moment, as the narrator (Sonny’s brother) states, “And something told me…that Sonny was doing his best to talk, that I should listen.”(458). After their conversation, Sonny invited his brother to a jazz club to hear Sonny and his band play. When they arrived to the club, Sonny introduced his brother to all of his bandmates and friends. Everyone at the club knew Sonny. His brother is impressed that Sonny is viewed as a celebrity among them. As the band began to play their music Sonny’s brother realized Sonny’s talent. In that moment, his