Sonny's Blues
James Baldwin
James Baldwin
This is my favorite piece of literature we have read so far in class. Sonny's Blues is a dark, compelling story of Sonny and his brother. The brother is the narrator in the story. I've listened to a variety of blues artists for some time now so this story caught my interest instantly.
The main characters in this story are Sonny and his brother. The Brother is portrayed as the more responsible, successful sibling (which may be the case depending on how you look at it). He is a math teacher who has had no mentionable troubles in the past. Meanwhile, Sonny, the younger brother and idealist musician, has a checkered past but just wants to do what he loves. A few other characters are mentioned such as Sonny's friend, their mother, and their uncle of whom they had no knowledge of until the mother was near death.
This story was littered with emotion and deeper meanings. As we discussed in class, it seems as if the big question revolves around this quote: "I think people ought to do what they want to do, what else are they alive for?" Great quote. I have never subscribed to the notion that we all have to follow paths that were laid out to us before we were even born yet. Why not do what makes you happy if it's harmless? Sonny had a dream. He chased that dream.
I think the brother finally realized what Sonny meant at the end of the story. All of his life, his brother looked down on him, criticized him for his lifestyle. That is, until he saw him display his talents. Sonny could play. His brother seemed to almost have an epiphany at the sight of Sonny in his true element, playing music. I think, sometimes, it takes seeing someone achieve their goal to really open a person's eyes to the truth. We were not born to to earn a pay check. We were born for much more than that....we just all need to find out what "that" exactly is.
The main characters in this story are Sonny and his brother. The Brother is portrayed as the more responsible, successful sibling (which may be the case depending on how you look at it). He is a math teacher who has had no mentionable troubles in the past. Meanwhile, Sonny, the younger brother and idealist musician, has a checkered past but just wants to do what he loves. A few other characters are mentioned such as Sonny's friend, their mother, and their uncle of whom they had no knowledge of until the mother was near death.
This story was littered with emotion and deeper meanings. As we discussed in class, it seems as if the big question revolves around this quote: "I think people ought to do what they want to do, what else are they alive for?" Great quote. I have never subscribed to the notion that we all have to follow paths that were laid out to us before we were even born yet. Why not do what makes you happy if it's harmless? Sonny had a dream. He chased that dream.
I think the brother finally realized what Sonny meant at the end of the story. All of his life, his brother looked down on him, criticized him for his lifestyle. That is, until he saw him display his talents. Sonny could play. His brother seemed to almost have an epiphany at the sight of Sonny in his true element, playing music. I think, sometimes, it takes seeing someone achieve their goal to really open a person's eyes to the truth. We were not born to to earn a pay check. We were born for much more than that....we just all need to find out what "that" exactly is.
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