Living On the Blues

A detailed Summary of Living On the Blues


"Sonny's Blues," by James Baldwin is a story about the relationship between two brothers. The story deals with each brother's own internal conflicts as well as the conflicts they had with each other. The central idea of this story is how ones own experiences of personal hardships make them better able to empathize with the troubles of others.

In the beginning of the story the brother reads about his brother (Sonny) being arrested for selling and using heroin. Even though Sonny was sent to prison, the brother is unable to connect to Sonny's pain until his own two-year-old daughter passed on. The brother then understands that, "My trouble made his (Sonny's) real." At the end of the story Sonny is released from his sentence and he invites his brother to accompany him to a local nightclub. "If you can stand it," Sonny add


The major character of this story is Sonny. While Sonny's character is round, the brother is stereotypical and dynamic. Sonny's character, which is a musician, is built throughout the story. Sonny is described as being seven years younger than his brother, "the apple of his father's eye," having "great gentleness," and private. After getting out of jail Sonny's appearance is revealed by the brother as being "older and thinner," and "looked very unlike my baby brother." The brother also notes that a, "distant stillness" in Sonny "had deepened." The brother's character is discovered through his thoughts and actions. He is a high school algebra teacher who is the honest conservative type. The brother maintains the typical older brother image that is protective and can not quiet empathize with his younger sibling. It is not until the end of

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sonny Sonny's, James Baldwin, story sonny, sonny's character,

Approximate Word count = 571
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Music

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