Through figurative language and an enticing plot, James Baldwin develops the life of Sonny through the narration of his brother, creating a theme of redemption. Although, Richard N. Albert holds a different opinion within his critical article, The Jazz-Blues Motif In James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues. Albert focuses on the theme of coming together through blues jazz. Sonny’s Blues follows the life of a troubled young man who has spent time incarcerated as he struggled through his heroin addiction. After Sonny’s release from incarceration, he looks for an outlook to stray away from his problems. Sonny does this by channeling all of his interest towards his passion for music as he aspires to become a jazz musician. He resides in Isabel’s (the narrators wife) parent’s home, in which he spends all of his time listening to records and practicing on the piano. Eventually, Sonny joins the Navy only to return years later and get in a dispute with his brother (the narrator). As Sonny’s life plays out, his aspirations are achieved as he begins to express himself through the rhythmic elegance of jazz blues within the night clubs of Harlem with his brother in the crowd. James Baldwin’s theme of redemption applies to Sonny’s life. Sonny spent his early years incarcerated, only later to join the Navy because he could not find a purpose to fill his life. Only later in his life was he able to feel accomplished through his success on stage and a success in the eyes of his brother.
Richard N. Albert proceeded with a different idea at hand. His critical article focused on several other themes within Sonny’s Blues. “He [Baldwin] may have intentionally injected ‘contraries’ that imply an interpretation [of jazz] which emphasizes a coming together in harmony of all people-not just Sonny’s brother and his people and culture.” (178). Albert’s acknowledgement of Baldwin’s theme of the coming together through music is impeccable compared to his other themes he discerned. “… Because it offers several common literary themes: individualism, alienation, and ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?'” (179). Yes, Albert does find these themes insignificant, but he does not deviate his opinion from them. The themes of individualism and alienation are remote when being related to Sonny’s Blues. The narrator may have been separated from his brother for a number of years due to Sonny’s incarceration and military services, but personal independence and isolation is not the message that is presented to the reader. Although the narrator did not carry strong faith in the idea of Sonny becoming a jazz musician, Sonny was still dependent on his brother’s aid. “We already decided that you was going to go and live at Isabel’s.” (Baldwin 195). Not only was shelter provided, but instruments were available to allow Sonny to further his interest in music. “‘They got a piano at Isabel’s. You can practice on it.’ And as a matter of fact, it did cheer him up for a minute.” (196). These are prime examples of not only that individualism and alienation are irrelevant to Sonny’s Blues, but they further Albert’s remark of the theme of ‘coming together’ and are the foundation Sonny’s endeavor for redemption .
James Baldwin portrays each of his characters, not through vivid, forthright descriptions, but through subtle comparisons which in return mirror the success of Sonny. Sonny’s concept of jazz is that of Charlie Parker. Sonny’s emotions become erratic as the narrator expresses his ignorance of jazz and Charlie Parker, “‘one of the greatest jazz musicians alive.'” (193). The narrator, on the other hand, perceives jazz as that of Louis Armstrong. Armstrong’s relation is very subtle to the story, as “there is a strong Uncle Tom implication in this and it is true that Armstrong was viewed this way by many of the young black musicians in the 1940s and 1950s.” (Albert 180). Albert continues to make the racial assumption that the narrator has lost touch with his heritage and has become “‘the white man’s nigger'” (180). On the contrary, Sonny embraces his heritage as Charlie Parker did as he became a ‘legend’. Charlie Parker also shares a disturbing similarity with Sonny as he “had become a victim of ‘the habit’ by the time he was 15.” (180). Despite Parker’s addiction to drugs, he “soared to the heights in all aspects of his life” (180). Sonny’s actions act as a reflection upon Parker’s as his addiction nearly ruined his life after he was “picked up, the evening before, in a raid on an apartment downtown for peddling and using heroin.” (Baldwin 180). Despite the near failure of his life, Sonny follows in the steps of Charlie Parker and pursues to soar “to the heights in all aspects of his life” as he attempts to redeem himself in the eyes of his family, but more importantly, himself.
James Baldwin incorporates something of elegance within his story. It carries its own harmony as it reunites those with their family and heritage and grants those with talent the contingency of success. This elegance of course, is music. More specifically, Baldwin chooses ‘jazz blues’ to be Sonny’s ambition. “Baldwin uses the jazz motif to emphasize the theme of individualism… He is a piano player who plays jazz, a kind of music noted for individuality because it depends on each musician’s ability to improvise his or her own ideas while keeping in harmony…” (Albert 179). Despite the implied education, Albert shows himself at fault. Individualism is interpreted as self-reliance, yet Albert claims Sonny’s Blues involves individualism “because [jazz] depends on each musician…” An opposed viewpoint may interpret the motif of jazz as being that of tradition. As the narrator studies the streets of Harlem, he comes across a trio preaching. Within this preaching, “they sang, and the sister with the tambourine kept a steady, jangling beat. (Baldwin 199).
As the singing filled the air the watching, listening faces underwent a change, the eyes focusing on something within; the music seemed to soothe a poison out of them and the time seemed, nearly, to fall away from the sullen, belligerent, battered faces, as though they were fleeing back to their first condition, while dreaming of their last… Then I saw Sonny, standing on the edge of the crowd. He was carrying a wide, flat notebook with a green cover, and it made him look, from where I was standing, almost like a schoolboy. The coppery sun brought out the copper in his skin, he was very faintly smiling, standing very still. Then the singing stopped . . . and Sonny dropped some change in the plate, looking directly at the woman with a little smile. (200).
Baldwin incorporates music into Sonny’s Blues, yet he specifically does not use jazz. Despite the absence of jazz, Sonny still approaches the source of music with utmost interest, which is visible through Baldwin’s description of Sonny looking like a schoolboy as if he is ready and eager to redeem himself. Sonny is trying to redeem himself through learning as he has done before at Isabel’s house when “he’d play one record over and over again, all day long sometimes, and he’d improvise along with it on the piano” (196). “Through learning we re-create ourselves. through learning we become able to do something we were never able to do.” (Peter Senge). Sonny’s intense willingness to learn only furthers the point of redemption as he strives to soar “to the heights in all aspects of his life.” The crowd’s reaction to the music is symbolic as well as seen through Baldwin’s description of their faces retreating to its first condition. This first condition being that of their ancestors who carried their traditions. As a whole, the crowd represents the coming together which emphasized Richard Albert’s theme.
Despite Richard Albert’s slight reference to the themes of individualism and alienation, Albert remains correct in his interpretation of Sonny’s Blues through his central idea that James Baldwin’s story “emphasizes the coming together in harmony of all people-not just Sonny’s brother and his people and culture.” Sonny’s early life consisted of juvenile charges stripping him of his adolescent childhood. Once free of his heroin addiction, he began taking an interest in jazz blues which helps him reconnect himself with his heritage and his brother. Sonny eventually reaches the highlight of his life, which is evident through the “lot of applause” (Baldwin 208) which consisted of a mixed crowd (i.e. the coming together of all people), accompanied by the “scotch and milk on top of the piano for Sonny [sent by his brother]” (208). To recognize his accomplishment of his career and reconcilement between him and his brother, the narrator recounts that Sonny, “sipped from it and looked toward me, and nodded. Then he put it back on top of the piano. For me, then, as they began to play again, it glowed and shook above my brother’s head like the very cup of trembling.” (208).
Works Cited
Albert, Richard N. “The Jazz-Blues Motif In James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues.'” Rev. of “Sonny’s Blues,” by James Baldwin. College Literature. College Literature, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. .
Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. N.p.: n.p., 1957. Print.
