Addiction in the short story sonnys blues by james baldwin
The narrator then thinks back to the last time he saw his mother alive, just before he went off to war most likely fought in Korea.
Addiction in the short story sonnys blues by james baldwin
Suffering allows an individual to understand the suffering of another, creating true compassion and humanizing the other. The narrator is contemplating searching Sonny's room and begins to describe a revival meeting that both he and Sonny are watching. The narrator is seated back in a dark corner and prepares to watch his brother play. When citing an essay from our library, you can use "Kibin" as the author. The narrator speculates that many of his students may already be experimenting with drugs like heroin. Yet he also notices a boy whistling a complex tune that cuts through all the laughter and noise. After all, the worlds of jazz and drug addiction are historically intertwined; it could be possible that Sonny's passion for jazz is merely an excuse for his lifestyle and addiction, as the narrator believes for a time.They talk about suffering. We try to protect ourselves and those we love, to make them feel safe as well. Sonny was withdrawn and quiet, while their loud-talking father pretended to be big and tough.
The narrator describes his father, a drunken man, who died when Sonny was fifteen. It then flashes forward, and he talks about Gracie and her polio affliction. He has a heroin addiction, which led him to jail, but because of his passion for jazz, he became a musician.
Music is the only way for Sonny to express himself.
Here, sonny means that it takes courage to resist the temptation of trying heroin once you have tasted it because it makes one feel high. Thinking of his brother reminds him of his students, who face limited possibilities in a hostile world.
He functions as a kind of father figure for Sonny. Reading example essays works the same way! Eagleman, David.