Symbolism in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues Essay - 1242 Words

Symbolism in James Baldwins Sonnys Blues Missing Works Cited Several passages found throughout Sonnys Blues indicate that as a whole, the neighborhood of Harlem is in the turmoil of a battle between good and evil. The narrator describes Sonnys close encounters with the evil manifested in drugs and crime, as well as his assertive attempts at distancing himself from the darker side. The streets and communities of Harlem are described as being a harsh environment which claims the lives of many who have struggled against the constant enticement of emotional escape through drugs, and financial escape through crime. Sonnys parents, just like the others in Harlem, have attempted to distance their children from the dark sides of their†¦show more content†¦These children can be compared directly to soldiers in a war. Thoughts of uniform packs and gruff speech come to mind; even the shadow-filled courtyard through which teachers pass quickly, as though he or she couldnt wait to get out (72) can be imagined as a setting of a quiet war in progres s. The students are all at risk for the same fate which befell Sonnys uncle. The hit-and-run incident which killed him was one of the expected casualties of the war unfolding around Sonny. Everyone knows an individual could fall at any given moment, but as was described in the livingroom scene remembered from many years ago, the hardships are not openly spoken of. Therein lies the critical error of insufficient emotional expression, which will be described later by the section dealing with jazz. As it pertains to the war scene, the lack of emotional expression is also demonstrated when Sonnys brother glimpses a barmaid going about her life at work. Sonnys brother, also the narrator of the story, watches her face as she laughingly responded to something someone said to her, still keeping time to the music. When she smiled one saw the little girl, one sensed the doomed, still-struggling woman beneath the battered face of the semi-whore (73). Primarily, the term doomed stands out most strongly. Viewed through different glasses, she could just as easily be a young soldier, lost in a land of terror, attempting to live up to the strength of a matureShow MoreRelatedSymbolism in Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin Essay1286 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin In James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† the reader meets Sonny, a recovering addict, and his older brother, a high school teacher. Although these two brothers have completely different lives and personalities, the author’s use of symbolism brings them more tightly together like a real family. 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