"Sonny's Blues" By James Baldwin

"Sonny's Blue's," a short story written by James Baldwin, is the story of a young, drug-addicted boy. The story is narrated by Sonny's older brother, an algebra teacher. Upon the death of their mother, he was told to look out for his younger brother, Sonny. The story is set in Harlem, the dreadful projects of New York where drugs and violence are prevalent among the youngest of lads. The teacher begins to reach out to some of his students, due to the realization that they, too, could end up with the same fate as Sonny.
An important part of this piece of literature is the title itself, "Sonny's Blues." To me, the "blues" refers to two things- a type of music and sense of feeling. The blues, the musical genre, is a popular type of music which arose out of African-American communities, and is seen within this short story. The songs that are classified in this genre are typically said to have a melancholic sound. Also, one may refer to their troubles as their "blues," which Sonny definitely had his fair share of. By using this word in the title, James Baldwin paid homage to Sonny's heritage and background, while also setting the tone for the audience.
There are many symbols in "Sonny's Blues," but the most obvious one to me is the use of light and dark in the short story. Throughout the story, Baldwin uses the symbolism of light in phrases such as "all that light in his face gone out," "like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light," and "[he] came down into the streets for light." By speaking of the light, Baldwin is hinting at the lighter and more positive things in Sonny's life, albeit the very scanty bit of it. Baldwin also uses the contrasting symbol of dark in the short story. Baldwin speaks of being "trapped in the darkness," "every face looks darkening," "the darkness coming," and "the darkness in the faces frighten the child." Dark is seen much more than light in "Sonny's Blues," and I believe that is because the dark encompasses all of their life, and almost entraps them so much so that they can not escape into the light.
By using the contrasting themes of light and dark in his short story, James Baldwin describes the daily life of his characters and gives the audience a visual image.