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Sonny's Blues Thesis

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Marcus Campos English 102 Mrs. Jerien Rausch “What You Do Today, Will Effect You Tomorrow” Sonny’s Blues is the story of the upbringing of a African American child during a time that he was not welcomed, at a place, the Harlem ghetto, where its easier to remain a street smart child. Being, black during this time period I believe that everyone has an untold story. I would argue that in Sonny Blues by James Baldwin poverty, drugs, and living conditions eventually result with doing time in prison . We sympathized with Sonny, being a drug addict, rather than with his brother, the narrator. “Sonny Blues” presents a complex picture of drug use as a means coping with sorrow and fear. We as human beings react to the things that get thrown at us …show more content…

“Special kind of ice , It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less” (Baldwin 74). The narrator was representing his emotion, once he read about Sonny’s arrest in the newspaper. This was an image of darkness to the narrator about his brother. The narrator, is a school teacher and he wants Sonny to be just like his students. Throughout, the story I think when the word “ice” appears in the short story it is symbolizing fear and the feeling of being …show more content…

The short story was explaining why many people get addicted to drugs. Baldwin tried to present that Sonny’s drug use affects more than one person. I believe drug addiction does not just affect the person using it; it also affects the person’s family. Once, the brother found out about Sonny’s arrest by reading it in the paper he felt sick to his stomach. It seemed that Sonny’s brother knew that he was using heroin but was denial by not finding out the truth. His emotions deeply took him over all at once. When, Sonny received the letter from his brother in prison and responded his brother was impatiently waiting for him to be released. The letter had a profusion of significance and deep meaning to their relationship. Once a person becomes dependent on any substance, the only needs or feelings that they are concerned about are their own. It took Sonny to going to prison and rehabilitation to finally realize he hurt his family. Sonny lost the most important factor in life from his family. His family no longer trusted him and was just hurt. At the end of the story when the brothers are bonding it opened the eyes of the narrator. He has finally seen who his brother truly was, a musician.

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