“Sonny’s Blues” follows an unnamed narrator’s attempt to reconnect with his younger, somewhat estranged brother, Sonny, whose excesses (drugs, music, art) the narrator struggles to grasp. Narrated in first-person, the reader is offered an uncommon glimpse at the internal, psychological constriction the narrator faces as he tries to come to terms with his past and his brother’s future. This story addresses such wide range of complicated issues: family dynamics, birth order, class structures within and across racial lines, the function of art, the function of the artist, the dynamics of suffering, and the power of redemption.
As you read the story, I’d like you to keep a few of these questions in mind. I encourage you to make notes for yourself in the margins of your book or in your notebook.
Who is this story about? Sonny? The narrator? The black community?
With degrees of common experience (and genetics), why do Sonny and the narrator live such divergent lives?
How would you describe Sonny and the narrator’s relationship?
Sonny and the narrator have markedly different outlooks on life. The narrator has an internal locus of control while Sonny’s locus seems largely external. Where do you see this difference illustrated in the text? Views on work? Views on the American Dream?
Can we trust the narrator?
Write a two-page reflection on this story, responding to some of the questions above. Be sure to include your own responses to the reading. Did you like it? Was it challenging? How? Would you read more from James Baldwin?