James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” (1957)
- Why do you think Baldwin decides to narrate Sonny’s experience through the eyes of his brother? Who or what does his brother symbolize? Why is the brother unnamed?
- Comment on Baldwin’s decision to begin the story with the brother unexpectedly learning of Sonny’s problems with the law. What metaphors does he use in the introductory section? In what ways is Harlem a character in this story
- How does Baldwin reveal both Sonny and his brother as characters? Who or what does their mother symbolize? What is the function of her revealing the secret of Sonny’s father?
- How does the brother feel about his distancing himself from Sonny? How does Baldwin narrate the event that helps to bring Sonny back into his brother’s life?
- What is memorable about Baldwin’s use of language in the final scene? How does this story engage with the classic moral question of “Am I my brother’s keeper?” What’s the significance of the title in relationship to the ending?
- What similarities and differences do you see between the nonfictional “Notes of a Native Son,” published in 1955, and the fictional “Sonny’s Blues,” published in 1957?
