Drugs And Substances In Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin

The short story, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, is about a man, the narrator and his brother, Sonny, and his returning from prison after selling and battling with heroin. Written by James Baldwin, the story takes place in Harlem, and throughout, there are certain settings that make the narrator feel a particular way. When the narrator encounters Sonny’s old friend, witnesses a revival, and recalls the story of the death of his each draw out different emotions. As a high school teacher, the narrator often sees many young boys and girls who went through a lot of the same things they experienced. Something that was frequently found around the schools they attended was drugs and drug addicts. This is how Sonny was introduced to drugs. After a long six and†¦show more content†¦He notices a woman in the crowd â€Å"[smoking] a cigarette between he heavy, chapped lips, her hair a cuckoo’s nest, her face scarred and swollen from many beatings† (Baldwin 108) . This woman is conversing with the woman with the tambourine and the narrator points out that they addressed each other say â€Å"Sister†. From this, the narrator believes that the women know that while one is a church-goer and the other faces challenges at home, possibly domestic abuse, they are not that different from one another. Even Sonny if affected by the revival. Sonny says, â€Å"her voice reminded me for a minute of what heroin feels like sometimes† (Baldwin 109). The enjoyment Sonny finds in the music gives him a sort of high, as he describes. This scene is an example of symbolism. Sonny is a troubled man, who has recently gotten out of prison and taken a completely different path than his brother, however, his brother realizes that they are not that different. They both have experienced death, the rough neighborhoods of Harlem, love their family and just want what is best for one another. When Sonny returns back to his brother house, the two share an intim ate moment where Sonny explains how drugs made him feel, physically and emotionally. From the beginning of the revival, to the end of the conversation with his brother, the narrator has a new-found understanding for Sonny’s actions. Throughout Sonny’s adolescent, he and his father argued many times. TheShow MoreRelatedAdversity In Sonnys Blues By James Baldwin892 Words   |  4 PagesJames Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† utilizes race, poverty, stereotypes, and adversity to shine a light on the struggle to escape circumstance. Throughout the text, Baldwin describes the hardships leaching the life out of Harlem’s black community from the narrator’s perspective. 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