In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues," the protagonist is an African-American high school algebra teacher who lives in the projects in New York City. (This character will be referred to as "William," which means "determined guardian," for writing purposes.) After the death of his mother, William is left with the difficult task of keeping his younger brother, Sonny, out of trouble and on the right track. This is not an easy task for William, as Sonny becomes addicted to heroin while trying to live out his dream of becoming a professional musician. After living with Sonny for some time, William learns that there is more pain and despair in his little brother than he ever could have imagined.

William learns that Sonny has been arrested for peddling and using heroin in the beginning of the story. At first, he can not believe it. Then he realizes that he can believe it, he just can not find the room for Sonny's situation anywhere inside of him. William had always had his suspicions about Sonny being addicted to drugs, he just could not, or would not, accept it. After talking to one of Sonny's friends, William learns that Sonny will be sent to "treatment,"

and will then be "let loose" (275). Because William is in denial about the whole situation, he does not contact his brother for some time, even though it would have done Sonny a great deal of good to hear from his brother.

At the end of the story, Sonny invites William to watch him perform at a night club. William goes, and he sees that his brother truly is gifted. William appreciates how much his brother needs his music to release his pain when "Sonny moved, deep within, exactly like someone in torment....And the face I saw on Sonny I'd never seen before. Everything had been burned out of it" (294). The beauty and sorrow of Sonny's music cause William to view his brother in a completely different light. He can now understand what his brother has gone through, how he felt.

It takes the death of William's daughter to make Sonny's problems real in William's mind. They begin to write to each other. When Sonny is released, the two brothers meet. William is very nervous, as is Sonny. William is not sure who his brother is any more, he only knows who he used to be. Although William is not thrilled about the idea, he "allows" Sonny to move in with him since he had promised his mother he would watch after him. However, William still does not know what to think of his brother. He does not know if Sonny can be trusted. After about two weeks of living together, William is trying to work up the courage to search Sonny's room. He will not

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Approximate Word count = 981
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)