The life of two brothers misery, love and hatred Sympathizing with Sonny, the drug addict in the story, rather than with his brother, the narrator, "Sonny's Blues" presents a complex picture of drug use as a means of coping with sorrow and fear. The short story "Sonny's Blues,” by James Baldwin, (1957) tells the story of two brothers who come to un-derstand each other. More specifically, it shows, through its two main characters, Sonny and his older brother, the two sides of African-American's experience with much of racism. The narrator, Sonny's brother, has tried to assimilate to the white society, but still feel the pain and the limits on his opportuni-ty. On the other hand, Sonny has never tried to assimilate and has to find the way out for his pain through drugs. In "Sonny's Blues,” we can understand what happened, why it happened, and why char-acters acted the way they do. The story Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin (1957) explores the theme of suffering experienced by Black Americans as individuals fettered by discrimination, unemployment, housing problems, drug ad-diction, imprisonment and suicide. It features the struggle of two brothers separated and caught in the entangle-ments of time, space and ideals. Harlem, the setting of "Sonny's Blues," is packed with barely-contained anger. The community is forced to live in an oppressive and painful world; as a result, many are left deeply angry. The narrator describes the neighborhood as a "boiling sea" (112) and comments that his students are "filled with rage" (104). He then speaks of the "hidden menace" that permeates Le-nox Avenue (112). Even the narrator's family has been impacted: the narrator's mother describes how the death of the narrator's uncle led his father to harbor a smoldering rage against white men. The anger and resentment of the community have built up to dangerous levels. Sonny senses the explosive potential of Harlem, when, looking down from the window, he wonders aloud how the anger and hatred "don't blow the avenue apart" (135). Through these examples, Baldwin attempts to communicate the anger and des-peration that plague Harlem and the wider African American community. The exposition of the "Sonny's Blues” starts when the narrator introduces characters, scene, and situa-tion of the story. The narrator learns from a newspaper that his younger brother, Sonny, has been arrested "for peddling and using heroin.” (Baldwin ) The narrator is a high school teacher, and his wife is Isabel. Leaving the school, the narrator comes across an old friend of Sonny's in the schoolyard. They talk about Sonny's arrest and tell each other some their fears. The friend says that he "can't much help old Sonny no more.” This angers the narrator because it reminds him that he himself had give up trying to help his brother and not even seen Sonny in a year. However, he keeps in touch with Sonny again after his daughter dies. It is also the moment the narrator begins to wonder about Sonny again.
"Sonny's Blues" is a story about pain, suffering, alienation, and anger; however, it is also a story about redemption. At the beginning of the work, the narrator is lost, disconnected from his family and isolated from his community. A painful act of grace the death of his daughter, Grace allows him to begin to un-derstand the depth of his brother's suffering. In that moment of pain, he contacts his brother, starting the long path to redemption. The brothers begin communicating and eventually Sonny is released from pris-on and stays with the narrator. When he finally listens to his brother play, the narrator understands and accepts the meaning of his brother's life. In accepting his brother, the narrator accepts himself and his heritage. The climax is a moment of discovery and redemption, in which the narrator is pulled back to his heritage and community, back to his brother and back to himself. He who was lost is now found. The story continues as the narrator meets Sonny after Sonny get out of prison. As Sonny's request, they take a long cab ride and recall their memories that they had experienced in "vivid, killing streets” in their childhood. Next, we hear the conversation between the narrator and his mother about his father and the death of his father's brother. All that hatred down there,” he said. “All that hatred and misery and love. It’s a wonder it doesn’t blow the avenue apart.”( Baldwin 123 ) Sonny, following his release from prison, makes this observation about the street outside the window. He has just passed a religious revival being held on the street, which promises salvation even though none will actually be granted. Baldwin’s story is as much about Harlem as it is about Sonny’s life. This observation captures perfectly the complicated nature of the community. It is neither wholly terrible nor wholly wonderful, but rather a mixture of love and hatred. This mixture is what makes Harlem such a vibrant place, but it also threatens to destroy Harlem and the people who live there. Baldwin’s concern with the particular streets in Harlem is evident throughout this story. The avenue Sonny is referring to is most likely Lenox Avenue, one of the most important streets in Harlem, which Baldwin frequently wrote about.