Sonny

Life in Harlem is so hard that all who live there need an escape in order to deal with the despair of their life there. In “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, we are introduced into a family that is struggling against poverty, racism, and substance abuse. Sonny, the main character is trying to find a way to live in Harlem through two escapes; heroin and music. Through their eyes we get a glimpse of …

…Most of the time they can’t even explain why they do this to themselves. They’re just trying to find some way “to keep from shaking to pieces.” Sonny is talking to his brother and trying to explain why he used heroin. He gets frustrated and trails off until he simply says: “Sometimes, you know… it was actually when I was most out of the world, I felt that I was in it.” (p. 27)