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 example, Sonny's drug use is a mystery to the narrator, and his struggle to piece together how Sonny became addicted mirrors our own struggle, as readers, to piece together Sonny's character. Even when the narrator and Sonny are together, the narrator is focused on the hidden nature of Sonny's internal life; this finds expression in many small ways (for instance, the narrator is afraid Sonny will think he is "humoring him" by telling the taxi driver to drive along the park), but mostly it takes the form of a form of investigation into why Sonny is the way he his, and, by extension, what separates the school teacher narrator from his brother.

The first person narration includes other points of view in the form of reported speech; one good example of this is the narrator's mother's story about the mysterious uncle who died as a young man. The mother tells the narrator this story to make a point about their family and the narrator's own limited knowledge. Less clear is the narrator's attitude about the story or the relative "truth" of his reporting of her speech. As in most first-person stories, the limited perspective of the narrator plays a big part both in how we understand the story.

“Sonny’s Blues” is told in the first person, from the perspective of Sonny’s brother, a school teacher in Harlem. The story describes the narrator’s coming to terms with his brother’s drug addiction, as well as with his brother's intense musical ambitions.

Twice in the story there are extended monologues from other characters. The first is when the narrator’s mother speaks in a flashback, recounting a tragic story from her late husband’s earlier life. The second is when Sonny, who, we are told, is usually very quiet and private, opens up to the narrator about his drug addiction, his passion for music, and the meaning of suffering. Of course, both of these monologues are filtered through the narrator’s perception of them, but they do offer another perspective, and ultimately, it is Sonny’s extended monologue that breaks through the narrator’s walls and causes him to also think about suffering, the possibility of redemption, and how to find and appreciate those rare moments of transcendence.

The narrator in "Sonny's Blues" is Sonny's brother, and we are told this story from his point of view, in the first person point of view.  We know that something is in the first person point of view when the narrator is using "I" to tell the story, and in fact, "I" is the very first word in the story.  What this means is that we are getting the story from the brother's perspective, not from Sonny's perspective. That might make for a very different kind of story.  But the brother is not completely lacking in objectivity because as the story goes on, we see that he has regrets about how he has regarded and treated Sonny over the years, being a judgmental and neglectful brother to him. We see his growth as a person, really, such that by the time the story ends, he has developed some empathy and a great deal more love and appreciation for his brother.

In "Sonny's Blues," how does the first person point of view impact the story?

In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues," the first person point of view draws the reader into the persona of the narrator, who provides the reader with the history of Sonny and insight. This literary technique of the first person narrator garners a certain sympathy from the reader, as the past tragedies of the two brothers are revealed. The narrator, whose daughter has died, remarks that this experience of the loss of his child makes Sonny's suffering real to him. Further, the narrator explains that when he went to meet Sonny, "The baby brother I'd never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light."

As the story examines the feelings and experiences of the two brothers, the two sides of the African American experience are revealed. With the narrator, there is the man who assimilates to a certain degree into mainstream society, but he still feels somewhat marginalized; with Sonny, there is the man who remains marginalized and feels limited. He seeks some way out of his suffering and pain. In the end, Sonny channels his suffering into music, especially with jazz and the blues, two forms developed by African American musicians. At the nightclub, the narrator watches his brother play the piano as though he were "playing for his life." He remarks that the atmosphere of the club begins "to change and tighten." Then, as he listens to Sonny, the narrator hears something else "dealing with the roar rising from the void and imposing order on it as it hits the air." Through the medium of music, Sonny expresses himself, and he communicates his triumphs and his sufferings.

Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did.

The act of sharing helps the brothers rescue each other. With the use of the first person narrator, the reader is also able to share the experience that they have and, thus, better understand the meanings that James Baldwin wishes to convey.

The first person narrative impacts the story in a couple of ways.  One of the most significant ways is that it makes the individual narrative a universal one. The initial description that enables the reader to "glimpse into" the narrator's life is only possible because of the first person position:  "I read about it in the paper, on the subway, on my way to work.  I read it, and I couldn't believe it, and I read it again.  Then perhaps I just stared at it, at the newspaper spelling out his name, spelling out the story."  This first person approach enables the reader to become engrossed in what transpires in the text from the earliest possible moment.

Since the entire focus of the story is the analysis of personal relationships and how they change over time, the introduction through first person narration allows the reader to become part of the narrative.  The emotional frame of reference that drives the story is enhanced through first person point of view. It impacts the reader because it invites the reader to enter into the portal of the speaker's mind and, at the same time, reflect on their own emotional reservoir of their own life.

The first person narrative impacts the story because it prevents a sense of didacticism to emerge.  In the first person point of view, one can understand the point of view of the narrator in terms of his pain and his potential for reconciliation.  The reflections, emotional confessions, and recollections are authentic because they come across in the first person narration.  Had Baldwin simply stated his beliefs, the reader might have been alienated from this experience.  It could have come across as more preachy than anything else. Yet, the tenderness of the memories and how they linger in one's mind is brought out in the first person narrative style of the story.  This is seen in the moments in which promises and verbal expressions of trust are illuminated:

"Oh, honey," she said, "there's a lot that you don't know. But you are going to find out." She stood up from the window and came over to me. "You got to hold on to your brother," she said, "and don't let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him. You going to be evil with him many a time. But don't you forget what I told you, you hear?"

The first person narrative enables these memories to resonate in the reader's mind.  They are powerful because it makes the theme of suffering become more real and tangible to the reader.  Since what it means to suffer and be estranged is so personalized, it increases the meaning with the reader.  At the same time, the first person frame of reference enables a resonance with the reader that avoids a sense of heavy- handedness. It simply comes across as life in the modern setting.