Sonny's Blues

"Sonny's Blues" is a story that James Baldwin wrote in 1957 and then re-released again in 1965. The story is about a black algebra teacher living in Harlem in the 1950s. He tells the story about his brother Sonny's drug problems, getting arrested, and then getting better. The story was first printed in Partisan Review.

Plot

"Sonny's Blues" is about two brothers, Sonny and the narrator. The story is told from the narrator's point of view. The story goes back and forth between the present and the past. The narrator is a math teacher, and he reads about Sonny's arrest for using drugs. He worries about Sonny and the boys in his class. Later, after the narrator's daughter dies, he decides to reach out to Sonny.

The story then goes back to when Sonny was a teenager and became obsessed with playing the piano. Sonny drops out of school to pursue his passion. Later, Sonny joins the Navy, and when he returns, he and the narrator have a poor relationship. In the present, the narrator realises that his unavailability in Sonny's life may have slowed Sonny's growth and decides to reconnect with him.

In the story, the narrator thinks about searching Sonny's room while his wife Isabel takes their kids to see their grandparents. However, he changes his mind when he sees Sonny performing in a revival meeting on the street below.

Later on, Sonny invites the narrator to watch him play in Greenwich Village. The narrator agrees and asks Sonny about his heroin addiction. Sonny explains that using drugs made him feel in control, but he wanted to escape from that life. At the jazz club, Sonny's playing is initially shaky, but he eventually wins over the crowd, including the narrator. They bond over a drink, and the narrator realises that music is how Sonny deals with his pain. However, the story ends with a symbol that suggests the brothers will face challenges in the future.

References to other works

Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker are mentioned in a conversation between Sonny and his brother.
In the final scene Creole, the band and Sonny play "Am I Blue?".
A reference to the Bible is made at the end of the story. This was when Baldwin compares the Scotch and milk placed in front of Sonny as the "cup of trembling." This is a reference to Isaiah 51:17.

Songs referenced

"Lord You Brought Me From a Long Ways Off"
"Mighty Long Way You've Brought Me"
"Some Cold, Rainy Day"
"The Old Ship of Zion"
"If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again"
"God Be with You Till We Meet Again"
"Am I Blue?"

Historical setting

The story mentions a war a few times. It is not stated which war, it could either be the Second World War or the Korean War.

Other websites

PDF of the short story as included in The Jazz Fiction Anthology
SparkNotes discussion
ENotes discussion
Archive of the 1957 Partisan Review that originally published Sonny's Blues