Sonny And His Life The Narrator example essay topic

James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues,' tells us the story of the relationship between two brothers growing up in Harlem and the troubles that they face. the relationship between both brothers changed over the years because of the events that occurred in their lives. but james baldwin shows us that no matter what problems arise or troubles they face in their lives, with the help of a loved one they can over come it. when the narrator was younger, his relationship with his brother was very close. one example of this was when his brother, Sonny, took his first steps, he walked straight towards him. the narrator always looked out for his brother and admired the fact that he was intelligent and wasnt rude lide the other kids in the neighborhood. the break in their relationship happened when their mother died. the narrator was in the army and couldnt stay to take care of Sonny, so he arranged for him to live with his wife Isabel and her family. this had grievous effects on Sonny who stopped going to school and focused only on playing the piano. this is where he started using drugs. after an argument with isabel's mother about not going to school, Sonny pulled away and stopped playing music. at this point Sonny's brother wasnt able to be there for him. so with no one to talk to, Sonny decided to join the navy. they begin to drift further and further apart from each other and it becomes very difficult to learn more about Sonny and his life. the narrator faced many difficulties in his quest to know more about his brother. the first difficulty he had to face was the embarrassment of knowing that his brother was addicted to heroine. the second difficulty included feelings of resentment towards his brother which cut off the communication between them. it was only after the death of his daughter that he was able to write to Sonny and try to get in contact with him. but the main difficulty that Sonny, faced in his life was the death of his parents and the fact that he had no one there for him at that time. Sonny comes out of rehab and is faced with the same problems that he faced before he went in. the neighborhood that the narrator lives in is still rife with all the temptations of their old neighborhood. because their dead uncle, the narrator feels that he should open up to Sonny and be there for him. Sonny finally opens up to his brother and explains the hardships and suffering that he has faced in his life. Sonny invites his brother to see him perform, to show him how he is going to combat his temptations. the narrator felt the pain and suffering of sonny through his music and is finally beginning to understand Sonny. the hardships faced throughout Sonny's life are made even harder if sonny has no one to help him out. Baldwin gave a vivid description of what these hardships can lead to and the effects that they can have on a relationship with others. but also, in the end he shows us that with the help and love of another that Sonny could make it through it..