James Baldwin and "Sonny's Blues"

James Baldwin's writing was greatly influenced by the racial situation in the 1950s that continued into the 60s and 70s. He was an avid activist in the civil rights movement and his writing intelligently and accurately portrayed the struggles of the African-American during this time period. According to his biography in our textbook another common theme in Baldwin's writings was the struggle to come to terms with homosexuality and interracial relationships.

In the story Sonny's Blues we are introduced to a man who is trying to come to terms with the fact that his younger brother (Sonny) is a lost soul caught in the trap of a heroin induced lifestyle. He has lost touch with Sonny after a falling out after their mother died, and doesn't hear anything from him for some time until he reads about Sonny being arrested in the newspaper. This is a wake up call for him. He realizes just how far away he has let his brother get. He feels the distance and very badly wants to close the gap, but is having trouble reconciling himself to the fact that it may have been his fault that Sonny is where he is. So, after some time he writes to Sonny and reestablishes their connection. He doesn't really undersand how Sonny has chosen the life he has, but he realizes the importance of family and wants to have some sort of connection with his brother. Sonny tries desparately to show his brother why he lives the way he does. He reasons through his drug abuse by saying that sometimes life was just too much. There was too much agony to bear soberly. His brother tries to understand, but cannot truly relate. He cannot fathom having to use drugs to escape the heartache and suffering of life. It isn't until the end of the story when he first-hand witnesses the struggle within Sonny as he tries to find his way on the piano that the elder brother is able to understand what Sonny had been trying to tell him all along. And it isn't until Sonny finds his own voice (through the music) that he can understand his brother as well. In the end they each experience a turning point and can each see where the other is coming from, and we are left with a feeling that maybe everything will be allright after all.