"Sonny's Blues" James Baldwin

The following entry presents criticism on Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues."

INTRODUCTION

One of the most eminent writers in post-World War II American literature, Baldwin garnered widespread critical acclaim for his story "Sonny's Blues," which was published in the collection Going to Meet the Man. Set in the early 1950s in New York City, the story is narrated by an unnamed man who relates his attempts to come to terms with his long estranged brother Sonny, a jazz musician. In this work, Baldwin drew on many of his own experiences to explore the issues of racial conflict, individual identity, and the complexity of human motivations.

Plot and Major Characters

In "Sonny's Blues" a conservative black teacher narrates his attempts to comprehend the alienated perspective of his brother Sonny, an unemployed jazz pianist and occasional heroin user. Upon hearing that Sonny has been arrested for possession of narcotics, the unnamed teacher refuses to become involved. As the story proceeds, he is led to a personal awareness of human frailty through the death of his young daughter. Recalling how his mother sympathetically comforted his father when his father's brother was intentionally hit and killed by a car driven by a drunken white man, the narrator acts on his mother's request that he offer the same sympathy to Sonny in times of duress. Listening to Sonny's jazz solo at a bar in Greenwich Village, the narrator is finally led to an understanding of universal suffering and of his brother's attitudes.

Major Themes

In "Sonny's Blues" Baldwin presents an existential world in which suffering characterizes man's basic state. The story's principal characters, in addition to struggling through an absurd world devoid of inherent meaning, must also persevere in a society that tolerates racism. Baldwin addresses these issues by employing metaphors of darkness and anxiety, incorporating images of confinement, and offering portraits of life in contemporary Harlem. Music in "Sonny's Blues," specifically jazz music, is likewise utilized as a controlling metaphor to examine questions of heritage, society, and racial relations in America. Music as a means of communication between people is also considered a meaningful theme in "Sonny's Blues." Additional themes include brotherly love, familial relationships, and, as with Baldwin's longer works, the search for identity, specifically what it means to be an African-American male in mid-twentieth century American society.

Critical Reception

"Sonny's Blues" is considered one of Baldwin's most compelling and effective pieces of short fiction, as well as a deft portrayal of the substantial role jazz music has played in American society in general and in the African-American community in particular. Many critics have evaluated "Sonny's Blues" against Baldwin's longer works, focusing on the themes of suffering and redemption. A few critics have noted inconsistencies in the story's tone; others have argued that Baldwin's treatment of social and political issues is too heavy-handed. Even so, "Sonny's Blues" is considered one of Baldwin's finest works, a succinct and moving exploration of familial and racial relations in modern American society.