In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" there is a large array of symbolism. This is a fictional literature work where Baldwin is trying to put it on paper about drugs. The narrator was an algebra teacher. Baldwins acknowledgement as he declares, I knew, no matter what anybody said, that the future I faced, was not the future they faced. The story is a reminder that no matter what difficult situation I might be facing at this given time, there is always hope of redemption. And when light fills the room, the child is filled with darkness. Then they all came together again, and Sonny was part of the family again. James Baldwins Sonnys Blues makes great use of different literary devices throughout the story. But you never hear anything I say.". As described, music is associated with darkness by the narrator because he does not see any future following a career in music and the fact that music is filled with immoral life, such as drug abuse. This was my introduction to James Baldwin. Maybe it did more for them than algebra could. Available SparkNotes PLUS Looking at the light on the bandstand, the narrator tells us that the musicians are "careful not to step into that circle of light too suddenly: that if they moved into the light too suddenly, without thinking, they would perish in the flame. I guess I didn't want to believe this. Note the phrase "on the quartet": it's important that the musicians are working as a group. Using conclusions gleaned from a detailed reading of the primary text, as . Upon arrival the narrator realizes he is in Sonnys world. In order of importance, the ideas are family, home, suffering, and drugs. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! I didn't hate him any more. "I never give Sonny nothing," the boy said finally, "but a long time ago I come to school high and Sonny asked me how it felt." I was sitting in the living room in the dark, by myself, and I suddenly thought of Sonny. Study for free with our range of university lectures! While it could easily be seen that racism is one . The story reminds me of the life of Mabel from The Horse Dealer's Daughter who went through the same suffering after losing her father. As evidenced in the story, the speaker does not like Sonnys decision to sing jazz because he considers it a waste of time, you mean, you want to be a drummer? (Baldwin 30). They haven't done this "without thinking." There isn't any other tale to tell, it's the only light we've got in all this darkness.". The author of Sonny's Blues uses irony in the story. All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness. Music is symbolized as an aspect that serves different factors and perceptions in the story. I started collecting my stuff. Your Daddy never did really get right again. The brothers grew up in Harlem, where the narrator still lives. Fenfang, Mi, and Tan Huijuan. Sometime I think I'm going to flip and never get outside and sometime I think I'll come straight back. "Sonny's Blues" is a story written in the first-person singular narrative style. Yet, it was clear that, for them I was only Sonny's brother. Sonnys Blues incorporates racial frustration, self-expression, avoidance, lightness/darkness and symbolic nature of music.
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