In five pages the relationship between the musician protagonist and his brother is the central focus with an explication of such key elements as language and setting also included. There are no other sources listed in the bibliography.
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story is written in first person but the narrator is Sonnys brother. What happens is that Sonny tries to begin a new life with the help of
his brother, but the work is set in Harlem and poverty is abundant. While the struggles are emotional, one has to surmise when reading the volume that had the
brothers grown up in a wealthy suburb, the despair would not have occurred. Might Baldwins message go to the idea that poverty breeds discontent and that wealth is positive? That
might be his thesis. While the author does not seem to suggest this outright, the sentiment is certainly there, buried among the used needles discarded by Sonny himself. In addition,
other themes emanate which concern death. The mothers death as well as her description of the death of her brother sparks insight into life and death issues. Certainly, these things
are broached in Sonnys Blues, particularly as the protagonist plays with concepts of life and death merely by the way in which he lives. Sonny is the protagonist. When he
is caught with heroin, he thinks back. Sonny is a character who thinks and reflects and also one that has a great deal of depth. Sonny is put in jail
and one can imagine that growth takes place there. While it seems that this would occur, and to some extent it does, real growth and change happens only after Sonny
is released and catches up with his brother. Aside from that, the fact that Sonny is a musician is relevant and is also captured in the title of the work.
His music means everything to him and he even drops out of school in order to pursue a musical career. Sonnys brother is the antagonist and he is also the