Michael McNulty
Dr. Julie Sievers
CULF 1318.10
April 26, 2016
Sonny’s Blues: p. 2208 – 2215
James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” is a story of two brothers that live in the Harlem ghettos during the early 1950’s. Sonny’s older brother, who is never specifically named, but plays a significant character throughout, narrates the story. “Sonny’s Blues” explores multiple topics ranging from the underground jazz scene, drug abuse, Harlem ghettos, and internal suffering, to artistic expression and various forms of family and corresponding dynamics. Baldwin’s flowing style of writing allows the reader to connect with the brothers on an emotional level. James Baldwin sets up two crucial conflicts between the brothers, their differing perspectives on jazz, and their opposing perspectives on what kind of family is best, which isn’t resolved until the narrator watches Sonny play with the band.
Baldwin uses the narrator’s point of view to reveal his negative perspective on the jazz scene and sees it as a bad influence. In the beginning section of the story, the brothers are talking about Sonny wanting to become a pianist. The narrator was uneasy at Sonny’s choice of profession because he didn’t think Sonny could make any money at it, along with his past drug habits and the impression the jazz scene is a bad influence. The narrator believes the jazz scene is a bad influence because of the sketchy characters, prevalence of drugs, and laid back attitude. My portion of the text begins when Sonny and his brother get into a fight over how Sonny had been living his life. A pivotal moment in the story is when the narrator says, in regards to Sonny, “I didn’t like the way he carried himself, loose and dreamlike all the time, and I didn’t like his friends, and his music seemed to be merely an excuse for the life he led. It sounded just that weird and disordered” (Baldwin p. 2207). I think the reason the narrator does not like the way Sonny is carrying himself because he is suspicious of Sonny’s drug habits recurring, especially when he says he mentions his constant loose and dreamlike state. The brothers constantly get into arguments because he is doing everything he can to provide Sonny with a better lifestyle. When it comes to the topic of jazz music and its culture, the narrator is very bitter; he associates it with hipster, drug using, degenerate, musicians.
The author uses Sonny’s perspective to show an appreciation for the jazz scene. Sonny has the opposite view from his brother, he loves everything about jazz music. Jazz is as much of a part of Sonny as are his arms and legs, and probably knows more about the music than himself. In a scene from the previous section, the narrator was talking to Sonny about musicians and brought up Louis Armstrong; Sonny was disappointed his brother couldn’t hear the difference between Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker (Baldwin p. 2204). Sonny wanted to play like Charlie Parker who was very influential in the bebop style of jazz. Bebop’s style was viewed as unconventional at the time, when compared to traditional jazz music because bebop musicians were able to take a free form approach. Many musicians at the time used drugs in order to fully express themselves, including famous musicians such as Charlie Parker and Ray Charles. Charlie Parker died of, “lobar pneumonia and the devastating effects of long-term substance abuse” according to a bibliography.com article (“Charlie Parker”). Sonny’s passion for jazz music is revealed to us through the way he talks to his brother about the music. Baldwin makes it seem like a life or death situation for Sonny; in the same conversation of trying to explain using drugs to his brother, Sonny explains his internal struggle, and the importance of playing music. Sonny says, “Sometimes you’ll do anything to play, even cut your mother’s throat. […] Or your brother’s. Or your own” (Baldwin p. 2211-2212). While the narrator finds anger and bitterness when thinking about jazz, Sonny finds comfort in the music. Jazz represents his passion as an artist, and is Sonny’s only healthy, positive escape from his suffering that Baldwin reveals to the audience.
James Baldwin uses the narrator’s perspective of a traditional ‘middle-class’ family dynamic to show that it is the better option. The narrator’s traditional family dynamic is exactly what it sounds like, a wife, children, and steady job he is advocating this is the better route to take. Being the older brother, husband, father, and a veteran, the narrator has an inherent protective, fatherly characteristic which he shows in regards to Sonny. This may be why the brothers butted heads so often, because Sonny didn’t feel as though he was being heard or taken seriously. He felt as though his brother was making all of his decisions for him, and since he still viewed the narrator as his brother. A prime example of a decision the narrator made for his younger brother was when Sonny was just released from jail and he had to live with Isabel and her parents. Sonny was not happy with his brother’s decision of his living arrangements because, “You decided it, I didn’t decide nothing”, and may have felt a little suffocated (Baldwin p. 2205). In this case the narrator has grounds to make these types of decisions for Sonny, since he is fresh out of jail and attempting to provide the best case scenario for Sonny. In another pivotal scene their mother was talking with the narrator about Sonny when she said, “You got to hold on to your brother, and don’t let him fall, […] You may not be able to stop nothing from happening. But you got to let him know you’s there” which is is important because she reassures him that things, good and bad, will happen to Sonny and to be supportive of him (Baldwin p. 2203). In that moment, the narrator assumes an unspoken parental role over Sonny. The narrator’s ingrained paternal role initially did not always allow him to listen to what Sonny wanted.
Sonny tries showing his brother that the traditional family isn’t for everyone by creating an alternative family of his own. As the narrator does his best to assimilate into the ‘traditional’ definition of family, but Sonny has never been the traditional type. Sonny’s family obviously includes the narrator, his biological brother, but Baldwin reveals to readers his other family are the jazz musicians, hipsters, the Creole, and other friends are all part of Sonny’s alternative ‘family’ that can understand the pain he suffers. Sonny is not only accepted by these people, but he is viewed as a distinguished musician. He was in search of other likeminded artists that carried the same amount of passion for their craft as he did. In the closing scene at the jazz club the band acted as a sort of family unit, but the way they communicated wasn’t with words, it was through how they were playing. The Creole acted as a father figure to the band because he took the lead over the musicians, but eventually handed the reigns over to Sonny after he gets a feel for playing again. While the narrator is listening to the band he says, “Then they all came together again, and Sonny was part of the family again. I could tell this from his face” in reference to the band striking up simultaneously again (Baldwin p. 2214). This is a crucial scene because this is when the narrator begins to see Sonny’s alternative family and how their dynamic works together.
There are times when it’s hard for Sonny to be heard by his brother, but there is a quote Sonny says that graphically depicts and attempts to explain the allure of heroin use, “her voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes—when it’s in you veins. It makes you feel sort of warm and cool at the same time. […] It makes you feel—in control. Sometimes you’ve got to have that feeling”, and continues with, “It’s not so much to play. It’s to stand it, to be able to make it at all. […] In order to keep from shaking to pieces” (Baldwin p. 2210). When Sonny explains to his brother that some musicians need heroin to play, the text explains the tone of the narrator’s tone was, “very ugly, full of contempt and anger” (Baldwin p. 2210). Sonny was trying to explain that some musicians need the drugs to calm their nerves, feel a part of the music, and help them from ‘shaking to pieces’ so to speak. In this critical scene Sonny is attempting to open up to his brother about his past, but talking about his dark past is tough for both of them. The narrator wants to speak up, but instead he keeps quiet to listen to what his brother has to say. This is crucial for the narrator to have Sonny open up to him and connect on a more personal level.
James Baldwin uses the scene when the narrator finally gets to see Sonny play to create a connection between the brothers. Throughout the story the narrator or his family cannot make sense of Sonny’s music when he would practice because he was practicing the bebop, freestyle form of jazz that was still uncommon at the time. When the narrator goes to see Sonny play he finally gets to see him in his own world where he seemed like a celebrity. While the narrator was watching Sonny and the band play he noticed the band members were communicating through the music, and that the Creole wanted Sonny to take a not hold back and let loose. The narrator comments on how hard it must be to be able to create music, “He has to fill it, this instrument, with the breath of life, his own”, and how musical creativity is not as easy as it may seem (Baldwin p. 2214). The narrator finally felt emotionally connected to the music after experiencing a performance in person. When the narrator says, “I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we listen, that he would never be free until we did”, Baldwin is saying that Sonny is free from his pain when the audience feels something from listening to his music (Baldwin p. 2214). The narrator’s perspective is totally changed after seeing his brother perform because he sees how talented Sonny is, and how hard he has worked to get to this point. The narrator has a lot more respect for Sonny after listening to him play and doesn’t view him as though he is still a child and makes peace with Sonny by sending him a drink.
James Baldwin uses the brother’s differing perspectives on lifestyles, and musical choices to create conflict that is eventually resolved. The narrator views Sonny as immature almost entirely through the story because of his defiant nature and irresponsible life choices. Once the narrator watches his brother perform with the band, his perspective of jazz, the band’s dynamic, and Sonny transforms and resolve their underlying issues.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1993. Print.
“Charlie Parker.” Bio.com. Ed. Biography.com Editors. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.
“Isaiah 51:22.” Bible Hub. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2016.
“Sonny’s Blues – Style and Technique” Comprehensive Guide to Short Stories, Critical Edition Ed. Charles E. May. eNotes.com, Inc. 2004 eNotes.com 26 Apr, 2016
Annotations
- “I didn’t like the way he carried himself, loose and dreamlike all the time, and I didn’t like his friends, and his music seemed to be merely an excuse for the life he led. It sounded just that weird and disordered” (Baldwin p. 2207) – The narrator seems worry some of his brothers old drug habits would resurface after hanging out with his sketchy friends. He also didn’t understand the bebop style of music at this moment
- “lobar pneumonia and the devastating effects of long-term substance abuse” (“Charlie Parker”) – What the narrator fears would happen to Sonny if he continued heroin use.
- “Sometimes you’ll do anything to play, even cut your mother’s throat. […] Or your brother’s. Or your own” (Baldwin p. 2211-2212) – One of those life/death scenarios where Sonny seems a little over the top, but in an attempt to portray how passionate he is about playing.
- “You decided it, I didn’t decide nothing” (Baldwin p. 2205) – The narrator making decisions about Sonny’s living arrangements, and doesn’t listen to Sonny’s side
- “You got to hold on to your brother, and don’t let him fall, […] You may not be able to stop nothing from happening. But you got to let him know you’s there” (Baldwin p. 2203) – The point of the story when he inherits the paternal role from his mother
- “Then they all came together again, and Sonny was part of the family again. I could tell this from his face” (Baldwin p. 2214) – Showing Sonny’s alternative family
- “her voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes—when it’s in you veins. It makes you feel sort of warm and cool at the same time. […] It makes you feel—in control. Sometimes you’ve got to have that feeling, It’s not so much to It’s to stand it, to be able to make it at all. […] In order to keep from shaking to pieces” (Baldwin p. 2210) – Sonny opening up to his brother in an attempt to connect with him so he can get a better understanding for doing what he did.
- “very ugly, full of contempt and anger” (Baldwin p. 2210) – was not a fan of Sonny’s drug habits at all and was hard to hear Sonny talk about the drug trips
- “He has to fill it, this instrument, with the breath of life, his own” (Baldwin p. 2214) – The narrator realizes how hard it would be to go up and perform and it 100% up to the musicians to create a relationship between them and their instrument
- “I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we listen, that he would never be free until we did” (Baldwin p. 2214) – Baldwin is saying that Sonny is free from his pain when the audience feels something from listening to his music
- “it glowed and shook above my brother’s head like the very cup of trembling” (Baldwin p. 2215) – “Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God Who contends for His people, “Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, The chalice of My anger; You will never drink it again.” – Isaiah 51:22