Sonny’s Blues (Literature)

Sonny’s Blues

John Baldwin 

  After I finished this story…I immediately compared it with Everyday Use by Alice Walker, I can’t help but associate the brothers with Dee and Maggie. The narrator wasn’t exactly the same as Dee, but in some way, they share the same situation. During their time, the inequality between black and white was easily seen. The narrator choose to blend in, that was his way of survive. On the contrary, Sonny decided to become a musician, yet not a classic musician, but a jazz player. They faced their life differently, and the story was about the conflict between the lives they chose. A really love those literature work, they always gave you hint about the story plot. For example, Araby (Arabia), A Rose for Emily (Well…you know my crazy theory) and a lot of examples for that. Now, Sonny’s Blues. There are different meanings for blues, yet all of them fit for the explanation. First, the Blues in music. In the past, Jazz and Blues are considered as “black music” (I’m not sure if I described it right or not…but…sort of.) They weren’t accept by the classical music, and ignored for a long time. Blues and Jazz are a mix of traditional African culture and American culture, a way for them to express their feelings. And in the story, Sonny expressed his passion for life through the music, and it met perfectly. Besides music, as readers all know that blue also means depression and anxiety those negative emotions, and throughout the story, Sonny did suffer them all. From drug to his conflict with the narrator, or his life in the army…