An Older Brother's Influence in James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues

When the narrator starts talking to his brother again, after years of no communication, he disapproves of his brother’s decisions. However, after the death of his daughter, he slowly starts to transform into a dynamic character. Through the narrator’s change from a static to a dynamic character, readers were able to experience a remarkable growth in the narrator. Works Cited Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Jazz Fiction Anthology.

Therefore, the change in the narrator throughout the text is significant in understanding the theme of the story. It is prevalent to withhold the single most important aspect of the narrator’s life: protecting his brother. In the commencement of the story, the narrator is shocked and in disbelief about the news of his brother’s incarceration, “It was not to be believed” (83). It had been over a year since he had seen his brother, but all he had was memories of him, “This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done” (83). The narrator’s thoughts about Sonny triggered his anxiety that very day.

Sonny's brother point of view is shared in this story as he feels responsible to keep his brother safe. The brother learns to listen throughout this story to better understand Sonny's life. This story is primarily about Sonny's brothers' life, how he struggled in his life and how he is now watching his younger brother Sonny go through the same situation. He worries about Sonny's life; that Sonny might not be able to escape the turmoil that life brings especially being a musician with no ties to family and job security. Sonny's brother sees Sonny trying to become a jazz musician, he watches and listens as Sonny goes through many difficulties in life.

Though no profound appreciation for his little brother exists (like the brothers in the first story), the speaker upholds his position in his family’s lineage and cares for Sonny unconditionally. Though Lyman and the speaker in the second story both withhold an intense bond to their brothers, the excess baggage that aids in the degeneration of their brothers is unexpected. In each story, separation due to war serves as a disintegrating fact... ... middle of paper ... ...Just as Sonny uses drugs to distort his reality, Lyman’s view is warped by drug use, also. Lyman hangs a picture of himself and his brother on the wall while he is “a little drunk and stoned” (Erdrich 172). With Henry’s transformation stuck to his conscious, the drugs cause Lyman to hallucinate.

The story Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin is a story about people’s actions and the effect that they have on the environment and the people around them. The Narrator is the older brother and the keeper of Sonny after his mother passes away. It is his duty to watch over his younger brother and to help guide him through life and to make the correct decisions. This caused great distress for him because he was never able to control Sonny and the life that he chooses to live. Sonny is The Narrators brother and is a dynamic character who decides early on what he wants to do with his life.

The narrator realized that everyone has a sad story. When Sonny was trying to express how he felt on the inside and reveal his drug abuse, the narrator did not want to accept his younger brother's drug abuse and he 'kept putting them away. I told myself that Sonny was wild, but he wasn't crazy"(79). Just as Sonny felt alone and helpless, he could not talk about it to anyone.

Life comes with many struggles and gives strength to those who face them. James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” is about the struggles and hardships that every day people face. This story is about an aspiring musician, Sonny, Baldwin’s main character, whose life is portrayed through the eyes of his older brother. Because of Sonny’s lifestyle, his brother has lost touch with him for many years, but after a terrible tragedy the narrator reaches out to Sonny and tries to mend their relationship. Sonny is a recovering drug addict and as the story goes on, it seems as if Sonny has changed, but in reality he did not change, his brother just comes to realization that he cannot change him, but only accept and respect the man that he is and the man that he’s striving to be.

Ray regrets not expressing love towards both his wife and his sons and vows to grow old with Dominick and be the best father he knows how to be for the remainder of his life. Dominick Birdsey was clearly the stronger twin. All his life, from a child to a middle aged man, he had to take care of someone, namely his brother Thomas. It is very difficult to be constantly giving and getting nothing in return as such was the case with Dominick. Finally, to be showed love by Ray, (the one man who Dominick thought was incapable of love) Dominick accomplished a sense of rest and settlement.

Such as the narrator expressing his anger towards his brother’s drug use and Sonny’s frustration towards the narrator not understanding his plan to become a jazz musician. For example, the narrator states, “I realized, with this mocking look, that there stood between us, forever, beyond the power of time or forgiveness, the fact that I had held silence – so long! – when he had needed human speech to help him” (pg.94). The argument with his brother made him realize that he abandon his younger brother when he needed him the most. He realized that if he would have spoken out and talk about his drug use that he wouldn’t have to go

Everybody heard them, felt them, and healed with them. In conclusion, lack of communication affected Sonny's life. When he wanted to be heard and understood, his brother ignored him. To get away, Sonny turned to drugs and found himself locked up in prison. The pain and suffering still lingered within him.