`Sonny`s Blues` by james baldwin

Sonny 's Blues

2005 Sonny 's Blues

The purpose of this is to introduce , discuss , and analyze the book "Sonny 's Blues " by James Baldwin . Specifically it will cite four internal or external things which happen to the narrator that lead to his changed perception of his brother , Sonny "Sonny 's Blues " is the story of two brothers , one who leads an acceptable life as a teacher (the narrator , and one who plays jazz and is addicted to heroin

The first external thing that helps the narrator change his thoughts about Sonny is

near the beginning of the story after his daughter dies He begins to think about how separate he and Sonny have become , and how he should really contact him . He writes Sonny a letter , and Sonny replies "You don 't know how much I needed to hear from you (Baldwin 1466 . His daughter 's death was the trigger , but Sonny 's letter was also instrumental in getting the two brothers back together . The narrator says "Then I kept in constant touch with him and I sent him whatever I could and I went to meet him when he came back to New York (Baldwin 1466 . He has broken the code of silence , and both the letter and the death of his daughter were external forces that helped him reconnect with Sonny and see him in a new light

Another internal thing that helps him rethink how he feels about Sonny are his memories of his mother . The last time he saw her , she told him 'I want to talk to you about your brother , she said , suddenly 'If anything happens to me he ain 't going to have nobody to look out for him (Baldwin 1469 . He promises to take care of him , and in fact Sonny goes to live with his fiancye , Isabel 's , family after she does die , but Sonny does not fit in with Isabel 's family , and he leaves to begin his life of music and heroin addiction . The memories make the narrator remember that he is responsible for his younger brother and that he has let him down . It makes him want to be a real brother to Sonny again , especially when he remembers the last words she said to him 'You may not be able to stop nothing from happening . But you got to let him know you 's there (Baldwin 1471 . His memories trigger feelings of love and affection for his brother , but he still cannot see past his addiction and his problems

Another external force that acts on the narrator is the revival meeting that he and Sonny both watch . Sonny opens up to his brother as they watch the meeting , and his brother comes to understand a little bit more about Sonny and his addiction to heroin . The narrator comes to understand just how much Sonny has suffered , and he understands more of his torment and his pain . He cannot voice his thoughts to Sonny , but to...