SONNY’S BLUES—Older brother was running away from his identity—

Narrator “opens his ears,” “wakes up,” “stops shutting things out”

“comes to life”

“In limbo between the world of the living and the world of the dead.”

Leo wakes up to the reality

Leo and narrator both cut themselves off from the world; they both “wake up” by finding love—a piece
of them that had been missing without them even knowing it. Whereas Leo never knew love, the
narrator rediscovered or learned how to show a love that was there all along.

ROMANTIC VERSUS FAMILIAL LOVE

Both “The Magic Barrel” and “Sonny’s Blues” are stories about the power of love to find oneself—
whether romantic or familial love. Leo, the 27-year-old rabbinical student who is the protagonist of the
“Magic Barrel,” approached the matchmaker Salzman in order to find a bride. In “Sonny’s Blues,” Sonny
is a jazz musician who is addicted to heroin; the narrator, Sonny’s older brother, is a high school algebra
teacher and a “straight and narrow” person; as a result of their different lifestyles, the brothers grew
distant from one another. Leo didn’t know who he was or what he wanted from love; he had the love of
his family but needed to find romantic love in order to find himself. The narrator of “Sonny’s Blues,” on
the other hand, had romantic love, but needed to discover the love of his brother in order to find
himself.

TOPIC SENTENCE 1: Both “The Magic Barrel” and “Sonny’s Blues” feature a character who is lost at the
beginning.

1. Leo Finkle—rabbinical student calls in a matchmaker to find him a bride. We’re told that Leo
spent all of his time studying and had not had time to find romantic love; looked for a bride
only for professional purposes. Doesn’t know what he wants from love. Realization that he
was unloved and didn’t love God.
2. The narrator of Sonny’s Blues was lost at the beginning. He blocks things out.