Critical Analysis of Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin Essay

Critical Analysis of Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin - Essay Example The story starts when Sonny’s elder brother gains knowledge about Sonny’s arrest on the basis of heroin addiction and drug selling. He is quite worried about his brother but he acknowledges the fact that he has never given him enough care and he realizes about Sonny’s troubles after his daughter, Grace’s death as he says, â€Å"my suffering made his real†. With his own suffering, he is able to relate to Sonny’s suffering. He remembers about his past life in Harlem and the incident of his uncle’s death by the drunken white people due to which, his father has always hated white people. Sonny’s brother suffers in silence as he never tries to face the reality of his suffering till the end. He along with his brother discovers himself and reconciles with the reality. Sonny is unable to forget or let go the sufferings he has endured. He finds freedom from the sufferings by being a jazz musician. He thinks that his music allows him to be free of the troubles of his life. However, he thinks that troubles cannot be stopped as he says, â€Å"trouble is the one thing that never does get stopped†. He considers his life troubled due to which, he gets heroin addict because he thinks it as a source of getting freedom of his sufferings. Like Sonny, his brother also suffers but unlike him, he tries to conceal his sufferings and fears of their revelation. Sonny is quite aware of his sufferings and wants to get rid of them through jazz music. He considers jazz as a source of freedom from his sufferings. Sonny’s interest in jazz music is disliked by his brother but till the end of the story, he realizes that it is only jazz music that Sonny feels free as he says, â€Å"there was no battle in his face†. Sonny’s brother realizes about his own suffering, Sonny’s suffering, his wife’s suffering, his children’s suffering and his parents’ suffering by getting near to Sonny and by letting him to break away