Listening as the Theme in "Son
Theme is an essential element to any story, serving as a central message the author means to convey to the reader. In "Sonny's Blues," a short story by James Baldwin, the theme of the story shows the reader the importance of listening, both in the narrator's life, but also in the reader's life. By following the difficult lives of two brothers who grew up in Harlem, New York, Baldwin explains the painful process of one brother's learning to listen. As the two brothers attempt to heal wounds left from the past, the story illustrates the importance of learning to listen. To Baldwin, listening seems to carry a double meaning: the true ability to communicate with one another and really caring for one another. The relationship between the two brothers shows throughout the story the first type of listening. In the beginning of the story, the narrator is a man who does not know how to listen, and who finds himself unable to assist Sonny in his time of need. When the police arrest Sonny for heroin addiction, the narrator then describes his reaction: "A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting slowly all day long [...] Sometimes it hardened up and seemed to expand until I felt my guts were going to come spill
When Sonny returns from prison, his brother has grown a bit. Then, when Sonny tries to talk to him about his inner life, about his suffering with heroin and about the role of music in his life, he keeps still and tries desperately to listen. As Baldwin describes their conversation, he illustrates how the narrator restrains himself and how he wants to interrupt with contradictions, but now is able to control himself. He keeps silent, and listens. When Sonny tries to talk to him after their mother's death, his brother's communication is unsuccessful. Sonny tries to explain to his brother that he needs to get away from Harlem because of his need for drugs; however, his brother is too concerned in his own life to respond. He cannot "hear" him, and so he ignores his plea. At that time, Sonny tries to tell him about his music as well, but again, his brother is unwilling to listen. Through this tragedy, he is finally able to respond to Sonny's trouble because of his own suffering. Before the death of his daughter, he can not hear or understand Sonny at all, although he really wants to. After her death, he is able to keep in touch with Sonny, and to communicate with him a little when he returns to Harlem. His mother's last wish is for him to "hold on" to Sonny. She says, "You got to hold on to your brother and don't let
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Approximate Word count = 904
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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