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The meaning of music to sonny in sonny's blues
The narrators relationship with sonny
The meaning of music to sonny in sonny's blues
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Sonny’s mother was an important influence on Sonny. Believe it or not Homer was an important influence of Sonny also. Sonny was given inspiration from his mother and something to work against with his father. “To get out of here, you’ve got to show your dad you’re smarter than he thinks. I believe you can build a rocket.
Overall, this piece shows that encouragement and judgement can have both positive and negative outcomes. The narrator is able to change his attitude on life, about himself and Sonny’s relationship, and most importantly Sonny’s choices by listening to the music his brother played and loved. Accepting Sonny’s blues opened the narrator’s mind to a better life with his brother because he learned that suffering and dread can be transformed to beautiful music and a loving bond between brothers that cannot be
It can be argued that the music playing represented positive times in Sonny’s life when he was focused, not using drugs and when the music stopped it was negatives time and when drugs were being used. “They certainly couldn’t throw him out. Neither did they dare to make a great scene about that piano because even they dimly sensed, as I sensed, from so many thousands of miles away, that Sonny was at that piano playing for his life."(454). The narrator also described how the barmaid was listening to the music and moving around the bar and then when the music stopped, the barmaid stopped. Once the music began playing again the barmaid started back working.
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.
He hasn’t seen his brother in about a year, but as he is walking out of his school he notices a familiar face and it turns out being one of his brother’s old friend. The old friend spoke to the narrator about how hard Sonny’s struggle is now and how it will still be a struggle later. The narrator went
In the end, he realizes that Sonny always wanted to play music and he wondered what happened during the time they were separated. As he listened to sonny’s music and the way sonny played, it filled in the missing time Sonny’s gone and what his addiction to heroin did to him all those years. He said “Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did. Yet, there was no battle in his face now, I heard what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth” (117). If Baldwin didn’t use family influences to tell the story, we never could conclude the brother ever being able to understand the trials, pain, and how serious heroin addiction was for
The narrator keeps this in mind and tries to sway Sonny to a path he feels is right for him. Sonny wants to go into music however the narrator feels it would be
Although both characters were different they found an understanding by trying to feel what each other were feeling. Also by coping with their tough childhood and feelings together without directly communicating. Sonny wanted so desperately to please his brother, but couldn’t find a way to avoid Jazz but still get that feeling he craved. Sonny was clearly disappointed and embarrassed by his choice of actions and despite what anyone said, he realized the choice he made was poor and it was time to follow his dream. At the end, the narrator realizes why Sonny turned to drugs in the first place.
Instead of directly saying how he felt, Sonny used music and drugs as a way to express himself. He needed to let it all out. His life was full of suffering and Sonny was able to let his voice out through his music. The word voice came to my mind when reading this story because at the ending of the story when the narrator sees his brother play at the
Baldwin gives us an alternative space of darkness. This reference of darkness being depicted by the Narrator is his connection that the nightclub and what it stands for is symbolic to all the things negative associated in Harlem. The Narrator associates Jazz music and drugs as one of the same. “The waitress ran around, frantically getting in the last orders, guys and chicks got closer to each other, and the lights in the bandstand, on the quarter, turned to a kind of indigo.” The narrators idea of darkness is changed in this scene.
It became real that Sonny actually might be good at this and that this makes him very happy. As Sonny was playing, “Freedom Lurked Around Us” and then the feeling of freedom overtook the atmosphere. Understanding of the pain Sonny went through in life was made clear through the music and the underlying tone to the notes. The past crept up, visions of their mother and father, daughter Grace and wife Isabel’s tears came back in that instant. Tears came to the surface, big brother’s eyes glazed over with the heart aching memories as the music
As light connects with darkness, it created an attraction for the readers. Additionally, music is a conventional symbol that brings happiness to Sonny, the main character in the story. The light symbol has given away the literal and figurative significant. Light usually represent the happiness, joyful, and exhilaration. The author used many forms of light to describe an insistent hope of salvation, but it also flashbacks a painful life of Sonny’s father.
“Sonny’s Blues,” written by James Baldwin discusses conflicts between two brothers in hopes of mending their relationship. “Sonny’s Blues” begins with the unnamed narrator reading a piece of paper with information regarding the trouble his brother Sonny has gotten himself into. The narrator has not been communicating with his brother during this period, but after the death of his two-year-old daughter Grace, he writes Sonny a letter. Once Sonny has been released, he goes back to Harlem to live with the narrator, and the narrator forces him into staying with his fiancé Isabel and her family because he believes Sonny deserves the opportunity to receive an education. Sonny makes it known to the narrator that he does not want to go back to school
This particular paragraph in “Sonny’s Blues” is incredibly important to the development and resolution of the story. At this moment, the narrator is watching his brother play the piano for the first time. He is overwhelmed by the sensations he receives from the music and also gains insight on his brother’s life. The narrator realizes that music is how Sonny expresses his feelings and how he copes with the struggles of everyday life. Without this paragraph, we lose the breakthrough moment the narrator has regarding his relationship with his brother.
Sonny is the main character in the story who has been through a lot in life. He wanted to be a jazz musician. After going through all the trouble, Sonny was a great musician and he loved to play music more than anything. He used music to escape from all the bad things around him. Most black people grow up in the slums and it is extremely hard to make it out of there without getting stuck on something bad.
