Sonny's Blues; CR 17-36

Who is Sonny? Something very tragic happened. The narrator and Sonny were close but something pulled them apart. By keeping the situation "outside me for a long time" the narrator wasn't acting as he should have. A good friend/brother would have helped because a drug addiction only leads downhill. An aquantance would be more likely to just ignore a problem like that.

It's interesting how the narrator used "head" when referring to the bathroom. That is a British word. A boy growing up in Harlem would probably have not heard that term.

"All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives... and the darkness of the movies.." This quote really stood out to me. The statement is true no matter where one grows up. The children laughing in the playground is a reflection of the brothers' relationship. The main laughter, which is mocking and insular, represents Sonny, who has not made the right choices and even reminds the narrator of him. The boy whistling stands out from the crowd of anger, which could represent the narrator, who outgrew the rough childhood. It was also interesting that the teachers practically ran through the courtyard to get away as quickly as possible. This shows that the authority does not actually want to help the children.

Why did the narrator give the homeless man money? Did he feel sorry for him? Did he actually and secretly like him? Did he metaphorically want to help Sonny by helping the homeless man? He then feels guilty about the way he spoke to the homeless man, which could mean that he feels guilty for the way he has treated his brother.

The homeless man said "Don't nobody want to die, ever," in response to whether death and drug usage were related. This is interesting to me because it seems that drug users use drugs to escape reality and actually live. The occassionaly death seems miniscule compared to the living while high.

It was touching how the narrator reflected on childhood memories with him and his brother. He caught Sonny when he fell after taking his first few steps. This emphasizes the strong connection they may have had or should have.

It's interesting how the narrator describes their neighborhood. Many of the buildings and homes have changed, which helps to hide the physical damage that was done during their childhoods. However, as much as the physical has changed, the emotional damage and hurt can never be changed or disguised.

Throughout the entire story, major tension is noticable between the narrator and Sonny. This is emphasized when the two are discussing Sonny's wish to be a musician. He is not afraid to try something he thoroughly enjoys and fail. He has great persistance and will simply try again. When Sonny realizes that Isabel's family just puts up with his music, not even for him, but for the narrator, his world is turned upside down.

It is tragic that it took the death of his child to make the narrator begin to understand the turmoil Sonny endured. However, tragedy often causes unity. And sometimes it is all one can do just to survive.

I found it extremely ironic that Sonny is the character that is portrayed as a messup. He however has a huge amount of hope and dreams. The narrator is portrayed as a normal guy with a family and a normal job. However, the narrator is the character without any hope, who actually appears to be scared.

It was uplifting to end the story with Sonny's music. Within music, he found a family. He found himself through the music. Many people hear the music, but they only hear what they want to hear. It was a nice ending that the narrator could actually hear the music and hear Sonny's story through the music.