Sonny's Blues 2
In the story "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin, we see many uses of symbolism. Symbolism is the most critical literary technique that Baldwin uses to achieve the intense connection to the characters that the reader feels in "Sonny's Blues". "Sonnys Blues" is a story about the relationship of two brothers and how they deal with their two different lives. This story is also about a family member coping with another family member's addiction. The first metaphor we are exposed to in this story is found in the second paragraph, "A great block of Ice settled in my belly and kept melting there all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spilling out or that I was going to choke or scream."(47). With this quotation the reader achieves a direct connection with the narrator. The symbolism of ice representing pain is an excellent metaphor because it allows the reader to feel the narrator's pain. If
the reader actually had a brother who was caught doing Heroin in a raid, Baldwin could achieve this emotional response by saying, "I felt just like I did the day I found out my brother was doing Heroin." Most of the general population has not had this experience. Therefore, when Baldwin uses the ice to describe the pain as a feeling that will not go away despite the fact that he must teach his students algebra, the reader feels exactly what Sonny's brother is feeling at the time. Near the end of the story Baldwin gives us some insight into Sonnys passion for his music. Once again the excellent use of symbolism and imagery leave nothing to the imagination. When Sonny goes to live with Isabel he plays her piano, and he plays it all the time. He learns to improvise along with the radio and practices furiously, "but it was as though he were all wrapped up in a some cloud, some fire, some vision all his own; and there wasn't any way to reach him."(61). This quotation is representative of the struggle that the narrator has with understanding his brother throughout the entire story. Through Baldwin's superi
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 752
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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