The two characters are described in the story when riding away in the cab taking sonny home, "..., it came to me that what we both were seeking through our separate cab windows was that part of ourselves which had

been left behind". They both are desperate to find faded memories that are left behind of their childhood before the pain and misery came to their life. Once for a short while they were happy before the death of their parents, little Gracie, and use of drugs. Harlem is not what it use to be to Sonny and his brother, now they can only see through make believe, and prejudiced view of their eyes. It seems both brother want's to get as far as possible from Harlem but the more they try the harder it is getting.

The Blues in the story is used in a more emotional manner which recollects the past, it also repairs the hard broken relationship between the two brothers who have chosen two different paths in hard environment. The music also plays a device of communication between the two brothers. When the brother is at the club listening to the blues he recalls his mother, the moonlit road on which his uncle died, and his wife's tears and he responds deeply to the music and is able to find himself thorough his own suffering.

When playing in the club, the narrator gives a vivid explanation of how musicians use their music to clean their souls, just as some people talk about their problems. This was especially true with sonny, he

Some common words found in the essay are:
Harlem Sonny, James Baldwin, sonny's music, support music, teaching career, harlem sonny, death parents,
Approximate Word count = 837
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)