Plot summary

The story opens with the narrator, who reads about his
younger brother named Sonny who has been caught in a
heroin bust. The narrator then goes about his day; he is a
teacher at a school in Harlem. However, he cannot get his
mind off Sonny. He thinks about all the boys in his class,
who dont have bright futures and are most likely doing
drugs, just like Sonny. After school, he meets a friend of
Sonnys, who tells him that they will lock him up and
make him detox, but eventually he will be let out and be
all alone.
Originally, the narrator doesnt write to Sonny. After his
daughter Gracie died of polio, he decided to write Sonny
a letter. Then Sonny wrote back, so they got in contact
again. At this point, we learn how Sonny is related to the
narratorthey are brothers. They keep in contact, and
after Sonny gets out of jail, he goes to live with the
narrator and his family. They eat a family dinner, which
then turns into a flashback about their parents.
The narrator describes his father, a drunken man, who
died when Sonny was fifteen. Sonny and his father had
the same privacy; however they did not get along. Sonny
was withdrawn and quiet; while their father pretended to
be big, tough, and loud-talking.
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 World War II). She told him the story of how
his uncle died (was run over by some drunken white
kids), how his father was never the same, and that the
narrator has to watch over Sonny. The narrator was

married to Isabel two days after this talk, and then he

went off to war. The next time he came back to the states
was for his mothers funeral.
When he was back for the funeral, he had a talk with
Sonny, trying to figure out who he is, because they are so
distant from one another. He asks Sonny what he wants
to do, and Sonny replies that he wants to be a jazz
musician and play the piano. The narrator does not
understand this dream and doesnt think it is good
enough for Sonny. They also try to figure out his living
arrangement for the remainder of his high school career.
Both of these subjects lead to an argument. Sonny calls
his brother ignorant for not knowing who Charlie Parker
is, and argues that he does not want to finish high school
or live at Isabels parents house. Eventually, however,
they find a compromise; Isabels parents have a piano,
which Sonny can play whenever he wants, provided he
goes to school. Sonny, begrudgingly (but somewhat
excited about the piano) agrees.
Sonny stays at Isabels and supposedly is going to
school. When he gets home, he constantly plays the
piano. Sonny, however, is more like a ghost; he shows no
emotion and doesnt talk to anyone.
It is soon found out that Sonny is not going to school.
Instead, he is going over to Greenwich Village, and
hanging with his jazz friends (and most likely doing
drugs). Once Isabels parents find this out, Sonny leaves
their house, drops out of school, and joins the navy.
They both got back from the war and lived in New York
for a while. They would see each other intermittently,
and whenever they would they would fight. Because of

these fights, they did not talk to each other for a very
long time.
It then flashes forward, and he talks about Gracie and her
polio affliction. It was then that the narrator decided to
write to Sonny. It seems that the narrator could better
understand his brother now. (My trouble made his
real.)
It then flashes forward to what we would assume is the
present. Its a Sunday and Isabel is gone with the
children to visit their grandparents. The narrator is
contemplating searching Sonnys room and begins to
describe a revival meeting that both he and Sonny are
watching. There is a woman singing, which seems to
hypnotize them both.
Sonny comes into the house, and asks the narrator if he
wants to come and watch him play in Greenwich Village,
and the narrator, unsurely and somewhat begrudgingly,
agrees to go.
Sonny then begins to talk about his heroin addiction in
somewhat ambiguous terms. He says that when the lady
was singing at the revival meeting, it reminded him what
it feels like when heroin is coursing through your veins.
Sonny says it makes you feel in control, and sometimes
you just have to feel that way. The narrator asks if he has
to feel like that to play. He answers that some people do.
They talk about suffering. And the narrator asks Sonny if
its worth killing yourself, just trying to escape suffering.
Sonny says he is not going to die trying not to suffer
faster than anyone else. Sonny divulges that the reason
he wanted to leave Harlem was to escape the drugs.

They go to the jazz club in Greenwich Village. The

narrator realizes how revered Sonny is there. He hears
Sonny play. In the beginning, he falters, as he hasnt
played for seven months, but after a while, it becomes
completely magical and enchants the narrator and
everyone in the club. The narrator sends a cup of scotch
and milk up to the piano for Sonny and the two share a
brief connecting moment. His brother finally understands
that it is through music that Sonny is able to turn his
suffering into something worthwhile.
Characters

Sonny is the main character. The reader sees him

through his brothers eyes, as a quiet, introspective
person who he could not reach. Sonny is also
described by the narrator as wild and dreamy. He
has a heroin addiction, which led him to jail, but
because of his passion for jazz, he became a
musician.
Sonnys brother is the narrator; his name is never
mentioned throughout the story. He is a high school
algebra teacher and family man. Unlike Sonny who
is constantly struggling with his feelings, he chooses
to ignore his own pain.
Isabel is Sonnys sister-in-law, she is open and
talkative. After Sonnys mother died, he lived in her
house with for a while, while his brother was in the
army.
Creole is a bass player who leads the band that
Sonny plays in at the end of the story. He functions
as a kind of father figure for Sonny.

References to other works

Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker are mentioned

during a conversation between Sonny and his
brother.
In the final scene Creole, the band and Sonny play
Am I Blue.
A reference to a passage in the Bible is made by the
end of the story, when Baldwin compares the Scotch
and milk placed in front of Sonny as the cup of
trembling. This is an allusion to Isaiah 51:17.

Allusion to actual history

Throughout the short story there are several mentions to
the war, although it is not stated which one. Considering
the story occurs during the mid-20th century, critics
argue it could be either Korean War or the Second World
War. On that matter, Pancho Savery in an article about
the short-story he concludes that it most likely takes
place during the Korean War rather than during World
War II.

Major themes

Suffering - One of the most important aspects of the

short story is how Sonny and his brother endure
suffering. This reveals how different they are and
the reason why Sonnys brother cannot understand
him. While Sonny feels more intensely all the
hardships in his life, his brother keeps his feelings
locked in. Most importantly, the short story focuses
on the sufferings of black people in America.

Artistic Expression - Baldwin believed in art as a

powerful mean to ease or relieve ones suffering. It
is only through music, by playing jazz, that Sonny is
able to externalize his pain and also help his brother
to face his own issues.
Racism and Segregation - Racism is a recurrent
theme in Baldwins work. In the short story, much
of Sonnys blues result from the condition African
Americans live in. Although Baldwin only presents
one clear example of racism, the entire story reveals
a separation made by society between blacks and
whites. In spite of being an algebra teacher, Sonnys
brother has to continue living in Harlem and cope
with the poverty and violence existent in the
neighborhood. In this manner we can see that his
efforts to have better lifestyle were not successful.