Reading Sonny’s Blues was like drowning in a sea of melancholy, but just as you’re about to lose consciousness, you’re pulled to safety. The story is about the inevitability of life’s problems, but like most problems, they’re solvable. The story is based in Harlem, a borough (often portrayed as tumultuous) of New York city, during the “Harlem Renaissance.” The lucid story makes a person feel hopeless, but, as Sonny explained in slightly different terms, there’s light at the end of tunnel, you just have to walk towards it.
The story is rife with conflict. After reading about Sonny in the newspaper, and taking up the matter with Sonny’s friend, Sonny’s brother thinks back to his mother’s warning, “Ain’t no place safe for kids, nor nobody” (Baldwin 44). The universality of conflict and its reality cannot be escaped. Safety and peace won’t be found anywhere. This idea seems to be ingrained very well in his mother:
"There Mama sat, in black, by the window. She was humming an old church song, 'Lord, you brought me from a long ways off.' Sonny was out somewhere. Mama kept watching the streets [presumably for Sonny]." (Baldwin 46)
His mother goes on to relate, somewhat emotionally, what happened to her husband’s brother. She then explains to her eldest son she’s telling him because, “he’s got a brother. And the world ain’t changed” (Baldwin 47).
Since the abolition and the conclusion of the Civil War, had African Americans really had their lives bettered? No. Some people will even go so far as to say their lives had worsened. African Americans had a brief period of “freedom” after the Civil War, but in the South where the majority of the African American population was located, that freedom was soon taken. The Black Codes and the Jim Crow laws were soon enacted in the South in an effort to restrict everything with regard to the actions of African Americans (Davis 1). Lynching was common, not only that, but violence in general against African Americans was prevalent. At the beginning of the 20th century, some middleclass African American families moved to Harlem. The result was a “white flight,” which was, as the term implies, a sort of exodus of the white inhabitants of Harlem to the suburbs of the city. This small influx of African Americans began what has come to be known as the Harlem Renaissance (Levity 1). The Harlem Renaissance ended with the coming of the Great Depression.
His mother lived through much of the disappointment of the pre-Civil Rights, and post-Civil War era. She knows life is hard and is acquainted with its misfortunes; the result is her resignation to the fact of her life’s hopelessness. However, she hopes for the best for her children. She’s a contradiction, she exudes emotional hopelessness, but radiates a purely intellectual hope at the same time. Her conversation with Sonny’s brother shows us this contradiction. The tone she uses, the way she expresses things, “If anything should happen to me…” but then she explains she’s only looking out for Sonny, and that “He needs someone to watch over him.” She does put mind over heart, but the heart can’t help but show through. Her heart and emotions exude hopelessness, yet the mind is full of hope, “I hope you’ll remember the things I tried to teach you,” and, “I praise my Redeemer.” We can’t help but see the inner turmoil. Sonny’s brother, like his mother, has experienced the conflict of life almost as vividly as his mother and ponders it often, though with a pessimistic view:
"On the sidewalk across from me, near to the entrance to the barbecue joint, some people were holding an old fashioned revival meeting…it was strange, suddenly, to watch, though I had been seeing these street meetings all my life. So, of course, had everybody else down there. Yet, they paused and watched and listened and I stood still at the window. '"Tis the old ship of Zion,"' they sang… '“it has rescued many a thousand!”' Not a soul under the sound of their voices was hearing this song for the first time, not one of them had been rescued." (Baldwin 54)
Small street side churches were popular in Harlem during the author James Baldwin’s youth, namely during the Harlem Renaissance. Baldwin certainly wasn’t a stranger to these meetings. He himself was a minister for a time during his high school years, though he soon rejected the ministry (Biography 2). The above paragraph is a clear demonstration of his acquaintance with these small street side churches, and knowing this, among other things, several things can be inferred. One of those points would be that these religious meetings were futile and pointless for the evangelists to hold because they got nowhere in the many years of doing them (a hard fact of many evangelists’ lives). Although that point could be inferred, that isn’t the message of the above paragraph. The above paragraph is explaining, essentially, Sonny’s brother’s hopelessness (an allusion to the then current African American situation), perhaps along with his contempt for those singing the song. The hopelessness his brother felt is echoed by his knowledge that, “not one of them had been rescued [from life and its accompanying troubles]” (Baldwin 54). Going back to my first comment with regard to the above paragraph, why do they (the preachers, or just people in general) continue even though the futility of their actions (or perhaps people’s lives in general) has already been displayed? The answer seems clear, but peculiar. They have a hope, however irrational, no matter how hopeless things appear.
After their mother’s death, the two brothers discussed Sonny’s future:
“'I want to play jazz,' Sonny said."
“'Are you serious?'”
“'Hell, yes, I’m serious.'”
“'You mean – like Louis Armstrong?'”
"His face closed as though I’d struck him. 'No. I’m not talking about none of that old time, down home crap.'”
“'Well, look, Sonny, I’m sorry, don’t get mad. I just don’t altogether get it, that’s all. Name somebody you know, a jazz musician you admire.'”
“'Bird.'”
“'Who?'”
“'Bird! Charlie Parker!'” (Baldwin 49)
Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Parker was a famous alto saxophonist who “made it big” around the end of the Harlem Renaissance. At a young age, he became serious about becoming a musician, however, it didn’t all work out in the beginning as he had originally planned and he was humiliated in one of his first major acts. He made a come back a couple years later. Sonny (and in actual fact the author) certainly chose a good role model. Bird was rejected but he came back, he was a fighter, like Sonny. And like Bird, Sonny had an addiction to heroin. There are numerous parallels in both of these men’s lives (Wu 1).
Having just looked at some of the parallels between Sonny’s role model and Sonny himself, let’s look at a conversation specifically about the universality of suffering between Sonny and his brother:
“'There’s no way not to suffer - is there, Sonny?'”
“'I believe not, but that’s never stopped anyone from trying.'” Sonny looked at me, “'Has it? . . . No, there’s no way not to suffer…why do people suffer? Maybe it’s better to do something to give it a reason, any reason…Everybody tries not to [suffer].'" (Baldwin 56)
This is, by far, the best example of my thesis statement at the beginning, Sonny and his brother actually discussing the universality of life’s problems and conflicts. It’s interesting to note that he said something with regard to giving suffering a reason. It makes a person wonder, “How do I justify my suffering?” Sonny’s mother was religious, as were the evangelists on the sidewalk; they had a reason for their suffering, God. They, by the very nature of their religious affiliations, were going “home [to the Redeemer],” when they died (Baldwin 47). Through all of life’s troubles, they had an eternity with the Redeemer to look forward to. That was how they dealt with their current suffering. Sonny dealt with some of his suffering through drugs. But Sonny’s brother locked his own suffering up inside. Everybody had a reason, or way of dealing with their suffering, even the brothers’ father had found a solution, drinking.
This is a fascinating part of the story because it brings up the age old question, “Why must there be suffering?” The story tends to just dismiss the question as a mere fact of life. But, I believe this question to be one of the origins of religion. People seek a cause, a reason, a purpose, yet they find nothing to justify their suffering, to lend meaning to their existence. Suffering and existence must have a reason, that reason, they conclude, is God. The author dismisses the question, “Why must there be suffering?” by directing his attention towards the good in life, and not addressing the specific reasons for suffering. His dismissal led me to conclude he was an atheist of some sort; it was later that I learned he had rejected the Christian ministry he had participated in in high school. And in case you were wondering, everything about an author has relevance to the interpretation of a literary work, even their religious sentiments, and that probably more so than most other things!
The most fascinating, liberating, part of the story is in the nightclub where we finally see Sonny play the piano in his way, “in his world, his kingdom” (Baldwin 58).
I watched Sonny’s face. His face was troubled, he was working hard, but he wasn’t with it. Creole wanted Sonny to leave the shoreline and head for deep water. He was Sonny’s witness that deep water and drowning were not the same thing - he had been there and he knew. He wanted Sonny to know. Sonny moved, deep within, exactly like someone in torment. Sonny hadn’t been near a piano for over a year. He and the piano stammered, got scared, stopped; started another direction, panicked again, got stuck. His face burned with the fire and fury of the battle which was occurring in him up there. Creole began to tell us what the blues were all about…while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. Creole was no longer trying to get Sonny in the water, he was wishing him Godspeed. (Baldwin 60)
This is the best part of the story as this is Sonny’s actual triumph over his inner turmoil. He goes into the situation with some difficulty but comes out of it as a person who’s found himself; he comes out redeemed. Creole himself went through what Sonny was going through, as Bird had too; the universality of life’s conflicts comes to mind. This paragraph seems almost like a direct allusion to the life of Charlie Parker. His career got a rough start, as Sonny’s performance had, but they both came out on top. Both of these people, Sonny and Bird, had difficulty, inner turmoil, but they both had a resolve. Sonny’s being wished Godspeed is a very stirring example of that resolve.
This short story was a vivid one. It has a message, the first part of which I found clear: the universality of conflict. While I don’t agree with the universal suffering, I think its implications are truly undeniable. The second part of the message, which I also found clear, was that there is life beyond conflict. We see that when Sonny overcomes his “inner demons,” and begins to play the piano aptly, the tone of the story changes to that of a person who’s just mastered the biggest conflict there is: life.
"Then it was over. (What was over? The song naturally. But more is implied. Sonny has finally overcome the great struggle.) Creole and Sonny let out their breath, both soaking wet, and grinning. There was a lot of applause and some of it was real. Just before they started, he looked toward me, and nodded." (Baldwin 61)r their suffering, God. They, by the very nature of their religious affiliations, were going “home [to the Redeemer],” when they died (Baldwin 47). Through all of life’s troubles, they had an eternity with the Redeemer to look forward to. That was how they dealt with their current suffering. Sonny dealt with some of his suffering through drugs. But Sonny’s brother locked his own suffering up inside. Everybody had a reason, or way of dealing with their suffering, even the brothers’ father had found a solution, drinking.
This is a fascinating part of the story because it brings up the age old question, “Why must there be suffering?” The story tends to just dismiss the question as a mere fact of life. But, I believe this question to be one of the origins of religion. People seek a cause, a reason, a purpose, yet they find nothing to justify their suffering, to lend meaning to their existence. Suffering and existence must have a reason, that reason, they conclude, is God. The author dismisses the question, “Why must there be suffering?” by directing his attention towards the good in life, and not addressing the specific reasons for suffering. His dismissal led me to conclude he was an atheist of some sort; it was later that I learned he had rejected the Christian ministry he had participated in in high school. And in case you were wondering, everything about an author has relevance to the interpretation of a literary work, even their religious sentiments, and that probably more so than most other things!
The most fascinating, liberating, part of the story is in the nightclub where we finally see Sonny play the piano in his way, “in his world, his kingdom” (Baldwin 58).
I watched Sonny’s face. His face was troubled, he was working hard, but he wasn’t with it. Creole wanted Sonny to leave the shoreline and head for deep water. He was Sonny’s witness that deep water and drowning were not the same thing - he had been there and he knew. He wanted Sonny to know. Sonny moved, deep within, exactly like someone in torment. Sonny hadn’t been near a piano for over a year. He and the piano stammered, got scared, stopped; started another direction, panicked again, got stuck. His face burned with the fire and fury of the battle which was occurring in him up there. Creole began to tell us what the blues were all about…while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. Creole was no longer trying to get Sonny in the water, he was wishing him Godspeed. (Baldwin 60)
This is the best part of the story as this is Sonny’s actual triumph over his inner turmoil. He goes into the situation with some difficulty but comes out of it as a person who’s found himself; he comes out redeemed. Creole himself went through what Sonny was going through, as Bird had too; the universality of life’s conflicts comes to mind. This paragraph seems almost like a direct allusion to the life of Charlie Parker. His career got a rough start, as Sonny’s performance had, but they both came out on top. Both of these people, Sonny and Bird, had difficulty, inner turmoil, but they both had a resolve. Sonny’s being wished Godspeed is a very stirring example of that resolve.
This short story was a vivid one. It has a message, the first part of which I found clear: the universality of conflict. While I don’t agree with the universal suffering, I think its implications are truly undeniable. The second part of the message, which I also found clear, was that there is life beyond conflict. We see that when Sonny overcomes his “inner demons,” and begins to play the piano aptly, the tone of the story changes to that of a person who’s just mastered the biggest conflict there is: life.
Then it was over. (What was over? The song naturally. But more is implied. Sonny has finally overcome the great struggle.) Creole and Sonny let out their breath, both soaking wet, and grinning. There was a lot of applause and some of it was real. Just before they started, he looked toward me, and nodded. (Baldwin 61)