Close Reading Of James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues

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July 2, 2019
A Close Reading of Sonny’s Blues
James Baldwin’s Sonny Blues narrates the living conditions of African-Americans back in the 1950s. Baldwin focused on the life of Sonny, who was narrated from the point of view of his brother, as Sonny was arrested by the authorities for possession of drugs. While it could easily be seen that racism is one of the most common issues, in this case, a closer reading of the literature would show that rage is another underlying theme within the whole text. This is shown through the actions of both Sonny and the other characters, which would all be discussed in the succeeding sections.
Rage is one of the most common reverberating themes in the text as could be seen from the flow of events and the actions of the characters themselves. This is to be expected especially because the whole text talks about discrimination amongst the African American population, which results in violence, limited opportunities, and a plethora of other social issues. For example, Sonny’s brother said that “I couldn’t believe it: but what I mean by that is that I couldn’t find any room for it anywhere inside of me” (Baldwin, p.103). This quote was taken from the time when Sonny’s brother was arrested for dealing and using drugs. It was a common conception during those times that the Blacks were commonly using drugs. However, what creates a sense of rage amongst his brother was his awareness that the reason why many youngsters in Harlem were indulged into...