Role of Music in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues"

Name
Instructor
Literature
Date
BALDWIN
Introduction
Music has played a significant role in Baldwin's work. Initially associated with drug use and crime, music has changed the entire narrative and helped Sonny be a reformed individual later in a society experiencing too much turmoil.
The role of music in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" Its significance and power
Music holds the whole story together, acting as the cause of conflict and its solution. This is evident when Sonny disagrees with his brother after learning that Sonny wants to be a jazz musician. "I simply couldn't understand why he wants to hang around nightclubs clowning around on bandstands…" (Baldwin, 134). He didn't imagine that music could be something worth doing for Sonny; he derided it and often associated it with the backstreets. Later on, through music, the two later reconcile after the brother accepts that he should let Sonny pursue and live his dream rather than dictating what he expects of him.
Music offers some form of escape route for Sonny. There was too much segregation, poverty, and suffering in Harlem. It was only through music that Sonny could maintain some degree of sanity. It offers a leeway out of the otherwise tough prevailing conditions. This is evident when the narrator says, "…and this was only a moment…and that the world waited outside, hungry as a tiger…” (Baldwin, 148). In this excerpt, the narrator shows that music allowed one to pick up after falling even though the story was about suffering and small victories.
Music usually acts as the soother for most sad or lonely souls in several instances. People always use music as a way of numbing their feelings. It also serves similar purposes of providing hope for the future and motivation to strive for the best possible outcome. In the excerpt, Sonny says, "…why do people suffer? Maybe it is better to give it a reason….” (Baldwin, 143). Therefore, through music, Sonny gets a purpose in life. Thus, music brings some feeling of normalcy and gives life meaning to hardships and evil. Sonny is trying, therefore, to make use of music to achieve such purposes.
Music also helps link people from diverse backgrounds, demographics, and socioeconomic statuses. It establishes a link that helps bring in some form of awareness and belonging amongst the people at the time. This was a t...