Report on Sonny's Blues

“Sonny’s Blues,” a short story by James Baldwin, illustrates a strained relationship between two brothers trying to survive in the mean streets of New York City. Told from the first person point-of-view of Sonny 's brother (a hard-working conservative schoolteacher whose name is never mentioned), the story revolves around Sonny’s dream of being a jazz pianist and the obstacles that stand in his way. Unfortunately, Sonny’s salvation, his love for jazz, is …

…s brother realizes ! that “he (Sonny) could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did” (Baldwin 1824). At the very end, when Sonny sips from his scotch and milk and nods out to his brother, the reader gets the feeling that Sonny and his brother understand each other better now, and that they are headed for a brighter future by admitting to the past. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**