Sonny's Blues Questions and Answers
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues" how does the order in which events are related later in the story affect your experience of...
James Baldwin wrote his short story "Sonny's Blues" in a staggered series of flashbacks that jump back and forth in time. The story begins as the narrator finds out that his brother, Sonny, has...
Sonny's Blues
What are the narrator's ways of coping with his pain and fear in "Sonny's Blues"?
In the beginning of the story the narrator thinks about the way he has compartmentalized the pain and fear he feels regarding his brother Sonny. He reads about Sonny's arrest in a drug raid and is...
Sonny's Blues
How does the narator of "Sonny’s Blue's" change and what brings about his change?
After the narrator of "Sonny's Blues" loses his daughter to the effects of polio, his loss causes him to feel that he can better understand Sonny's troubles. Later, he gains a greater understanding...
Sonny's Blues
What made Sonny use heroin in "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin?
The narrator, Sonny's brother, asks him why he uses heroin. It is hard for this older brother, the upstanding sibling who has made a life for himself as a public school teacher, to understand why...
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues," what is the climax for this story?
The climax of "Sonny's Blues" occurs after Sonny returns to Harlem to live in Greenwich Village, and they have a heated argument. James Baldwin, who composed songs at one time for Ray Charles...
Sonny's Blues
What is the conflict in James Baldwin's story "Sonny's Blues" that troubles a major character?
There are a lot of conflicts at work in "Sonny's Blues." The overarching conflict in the story is that between black existence and white society, and this has strongly influenced how the narrator...
Sonny's Blues
What is the relationship between the chronology and the plot of "Sonny's Blues"?
Instead of organizing his recollections in chronological order, the narrator in "Sonny's Blues" focuses on the ways his relationship with his brother has evolved with time—and not always...
Sonny's Blues
What is the irony in "Sonny's Blues"?
The narrator of "Sonny's Blues" sees himself as a responsible family man who has used his intelligence and hard work to escape from his background. His brother, Sonny, is the opposite, a failure...
Sonny's Blues
What is the significance of the street revival meeting in "Sonny's Blues"?
The street revival is a significant episode in James Baldwin's story entitled "Sonny's Blues" because the brother takes notice of something in Sonny. As the brother looks across the street where a...
Sonny's Blues
The scotch-and-milk in “Sonny's Blues” has multiple meanings. Explore at least two possible meanings. Review the...
In terms of scotch and milk being mixed, scotch is a drink associated with adulthood, and therefore with knowledge. On the other hand, and ambiguously, scotch (and other narcotics, like Sonny's...
Sonny's Blues
Discuss the nightclub scene in "Sonny's Blues." What does it represent for Sonny? What does it represent for the...
In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues," we see a great deal of friction between the narrator and his younger brother, Sonny. Despite the promise he made to his mother to be there for his...
Sonny's Blues
What are the events that occur in chronological order?
Sonny’s Blues in chronological plot order: Sonny’s dad’s brother is run over by a car of white men long before his sons are born, and it can be inferred that this trauma is at the root of his...
Sonny's Blues
"Sonny's Blues" begins in media res. What does Baldwin achieve by beginning the story as he does?
In medias res is a Latin phrase meaning “into the middle of things.” This is an important literary tactic employed by many writers. In using in medias res, writers bypass the exposition and...
Sonny's Blues
What would be a good thesis statement for the point of view in "Sonny's Blues"?
With the brother of Sonny as narrator, Baldwin affords the reader not only insight into the character of the narrator, but also insight into the character of Sonny as together they unite in their...
Sonny's Blues
Why are the order of events in "Sonny's Blues" written in this manner? Is it effective?
In the short story "Sonny's Blues" by Baldwin, the author uses an interesting narrative technique in the work that is very effective. This technique involves jumping forwards and backwards in time...
Sonny's Blues
What is the importance of the flashbacks in "Sonny's Blues"?
The flashbacks are an important and effective technique in this story because they enable the narrator to convey to his readers important snippets of Sonny's life that help us to empathize with...
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues," how does the mother's tale about the narrator's father and father's brother shed light on this...
The flashback scene in which the narrator's mother reveals the story of his uncle's death occurs at a pivotal point in the story. The narrator's father has just died, and the narrator is forced to...
Sonny's Blues
What does the narrotor's mother ask him to do for Sonny? Does the older brother keep the promise?
The narrator's mother asks him to keep an eye on his younger brother. But the narrator doesn't understand Sonny, and quickly dismisses Sonny when he gets into trouble. As Sonny's friend in the...
Sonny's Blues
Describe the relationship between Sonny and his brother in "Sonny's Blues"?
To borrow a phrase from our modern society: It's complicated. The narrator does have his brother's best interests at heart. He wants to see Sonny do well and be happy—and he thinks that he, as the...
Sonny's Blues
What is the climax, falling action and resolution of "Sonny's Blues"?
First, it's important to define exactly what a climax is and how it functions in a story. A climax occurs when the conflict hits its highest point, and it becomes clear how the story will be...
Sonny's Blues
What would be a good thesis statement for James Baldwin's short story, "Sonny's Blues," and why?
I noticed that theme is often confused with and stated as a topic, example: family relationships. Theme is not a topic, theme is what the author wants you to think about or to understand. It is...
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues," what does Sonny's notebook with the green cover symbolize?
Sonny's notebook with the green cover may symbolize the narrator's memories of Sonny as a young schoolboy and the rebirth and renewal of Sonny's situation and his relationship with the narrator....
Sonny's Blues
What is the purpose of Mama's telling of the death of "Daddy's brother" in "Sonny's Blues"?
Mama tells the narrator about his uncle because she wants him to know "It ain't only the bad ones, nor yet the dumb ones that gets sucked under" in their environment. She tells of the...
Sonny's Blues
On pages 47 and 48 in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" you finally "hear" Sonny as he plays his blues. Close read the...
In James Baldwin's story “Sonny's Blues,” the author describes Sonny's return to music after his time in prison; he uses imagery and metaphors to describe the music and its effects on Sonny. Let's...
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues," is Sonny a sympathetic character? Why or why not?
Sonny is a sympathetic character, because his negative behavior can be explained by the pain and isolation he feels. Sonny has many bad traits. He's often been the bane of his more stable, steady...
Sonny's Blues
What happens in the jazz club in "Sonny's Blues" regarding the brothers and Sonny's suffering?
The brothers in "Sonny's Blues" go to the jazz club after having a revelatory conversation in which the older brother listens to Sonny's point of view for the first time. He learns that Sonny...
Sonny's Blues
From the last few pages of James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues," what do you conclude?
There is an old adage that states, "Happiness was born a twin"; indeed, one must share with others his/her joyful state for that emotion to be fully realized. By the same token, sorrow must be...
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues," why might traveling to India be appealing to Sonny?
When Sonny gets out of prison, his brother, the story's narrator, picks him up. The two are driving through New York when Sonny's brother remembers that Sonny had once wanted to go to India: Years...
Sonny's Blues
What events prompt the narrator to write his brother in "Sonny's Blues"? How would this story be different if Sonny...
The narrator and his brother Sonny have had a strained relationship for a long time. While Sonny was in high school (the narrator is 7 years older), the brothers lost their mother soon after losing...
Sonny's Blues
How did the author create the tone in Sonny's Blues?
James Baldwin effectively creates a blues/mournful tone in his story of "Sonny's Blues" by having the disappointed brother read about Sonny in the paper "trapped in the darkness which roared...
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues," what is meant by the word "blues" in the title and what are Sonny's blues?
Sonny is blue about life and being outcast. In this sense, "blue" means sad, unhappy, despondent. Sonny is also a musician and when he plays, he plays African American invented music, bebop jazz...
Sonny's Blues
In Sonny's Blues, how do the narrator and Sonny react differently to pain and personal loss?
Th narrator's reaction to pain and human loss is to shut down emotionally. For example, he cuts Sonny off until the polio death of his own young daughter brings a pain he can't deny. This causes...
Sonny's Blues
What is the external conflict between the brothers in "Sonny's Blues"?
Throughout "Sonny's Blues," the external conflict between the narrator and Sonny mostly relates to Sonny's refusal to attend school in favor of spending time with his music. This conflict is the...
Sonny's Blues
What happened to Sonny's uncle in "Sonny's Blues"?
When the narrator last saw his mother, he was told about a long-dead uncle he was never aware existed. This man was his father's brother, and like Sonny, he had a strong passion for music. For a...
Sonny's Blues
What does "Sonny's Blues" imply about the relationship between life and art?
A key theme to Baldwin's literature is the way that art is shown to be able to either alleviate people's suffering or to save them from it altogether. An important part of this story is the way...
Sonny's Blues
Who is the antagonist in "Sonny's Blues"?
Because James Baldwin’s story “Sonny’s Blues” is not primarily about conflict between people, one cannot identify a human antagonist. The first-person narrator, who is the protagonist, tends to see...
Sonny's Blues
How are Sonny and his brother alike in "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin?
Sonny and his brother, the narrator of the story, are similar in that they both want to escape from Harlem, the neighborhood in which they grew up. The narrator escapes Harlem through marriage and...
Sonny's Blues
What is the point of view in "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin?
Baldwin's story is told in the first person, by Sonny's brother. Because of the point of view, the information we have about Sonny and his family is limited by what the narrator tells us. For...
Sonny's Blues
What is the relationship between Sonny and his brother and how does it change?
The narrator's relationship with his younger brother Sonny definitely changes over the course of their lives. At the beginning of the story, Sonny is in prison, and the narrator learns of this from...
Sonny's Blues
How would you describe the tone of the ending? Does the narrator express optimism? Pessimism?
The tone is a hopeful one, which would indicate that it is an optimistic one. At the end of the story, the narrator, Sonny's brother, has an epiphany about Sonny. He realizes that Sonny's music...
Sonny's Blues
Why does Sonny leave Isabel's family's home while the narrator is in the military in "Sonny's Blues?"
While Sonny is with Isabel's family, he certainly does take advantage of the opportunity to practice on the piano and listen to music. This becomes his life. The narrator adds that Sonny is not...
Sonny's Blues
What is the resolution in "Sonny's Blues"?
The resolution of a story comes after the climax. In "Sonny's Blues," the story reaches its climax as the narrator listens to and is moved by Sonny's music in a jazz club and suddenly understands...
Sonny's Blues
How does Balwin use literary elements in "Sonny's Blues"?
In his 1957 short story "Sonny's Blues," James Baldwin uses a variety of literary elements to develop complex narrative with multiple thematic concerns. The story is told from a first-person point...
Sonny's Blues
In "Sonny's Blues," what is the narrator's attitude toward his brother and how does his attitude change—not only...
The narrator is estranged from his brother in the beginning of the story, unable to relate to the decisions Sonny has made as he's grown into adulthood. He recalls that when Sonny was the age of...
Sonny's Blues
How is the neighborhood described?
The narrator of "Sonny's Blues" describes the neighborhood as "filled with a hidden menace which was its very breath of life." Though the place where he lives is a relatively new housing project,...
Sonny's Blues
How does the narrator in "Sonny's Blues" cope with fear and pain?
The narrator of James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" seems to cope with fear and pain by not really coping with them at all. In the beginning of the story, when he reads about Sonny's arrest in a...
Sonny's Blues
How does meeting with Sonny's old school friend affect the narrator in "Sonny's Blues"?
After Sonny's brother reads in the paper about Sonny's arrest, and an old friend of Sonny's meets him in the school parking lot, he is reminded of how he has given up; how he made a promise to...
Sonny's Blues
What internal conflicts are depicted in the story "Sonny's Blues"?
The narrator of the story, Sonny's brother, who is seven years older than Sonny, struggles with many internal conflicts. The first conflict concerns the theme of the loss of innocence. At the onset...
Sonny's Blues
What were three points of flashback in "Sonny's Blues"?
A flashback occurs when the narrator deviates from the main timeframe of the narrative in order to recall something which happened much earlier. Given that "Sonny's Blues" dwells on the narrator's...
Sonny's Blues
What does the narrator of “Sonny's Blues” mean by “the trap” and the “hidden menace”?
For the narrator, as for so many others, Harlem in the early 1950s is a trap, a place from which it is virtually impossible to escape. The Harlem that is depicted in “Sonny's Blues” is a brutal...
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