A captivating tale of relationship of two troubling brothers in Harlem, "Sonny's Blues" is told from a perspective of Sonny's brother, whose name is never mentioned. Baldwin's choice of Sonny's brother as a narrator is what makes "Sonny's Blues" significant in terms of illustrating the relationship and emotional complications of Sonny and his brother. The significance of "Sonny's Blues" lies in the way Sonny's brother describes the relationship based on what he observes, hears, and feels, and how he struggles trying to understand Sonny through the course of the story.
As Sonny's brother, he gets to be physically and mentally as close to Sonny as anyone else can. Readers get to know that Sonny's brother is a fairly reliable narrator from the fact that he is an algebra teacher and far less abused by "horse" or "the low ceiling of their actual possibilities" than the kids around the neighborhood, including Sonny. Sonny's brother is aware of what is going on between Sonny and him......
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Approximate Word Count: 679
Approximate Pages: 3 (260 words per double-spaced page) |