How Does The Author Use Darkness In Sonny's Blues

1182 Words5 Pages
Sonny’s Blues is a story that relates to an underprivileged family in Harlem, New York. The story is told through the eyes of the narrator, who is the older brother of the main character Sonny. Sonny is a young African American man who wants to pursue a career in music and leaves Harlem in search of freedom and light. The author symbolizes light to be freedom in the story; meanwhile both brothers see the downfalls of the community they lived in engulfed in darkness, filled with crime and drugs. However after Sonny leaves Harlem, he is still constrained by the drug community and falls into the temptations eventually ending up imprisoned because of his own weakness. Throughout the story, Sonny is continuously burdened by his brother’s constant judgment of his drug abuse in addition to judging…show more content…
The author uses darkness as a symbol of the struggles of both brothers during their youth. For example, the author explains that the brothers never knew what darkness was because all they experienced was darkness. The author explains “The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. The darkness is where they have come from. The darkness is what they have endured. The child knows they won't talk anymore because if he knows too much about what's happened to them, he'll know too much too soon, about what's going to happen to him” (96). The authors’ point here portrays how suffering can be inherited down from generations. Parents want to shelter their young from the realities of the world and the suffering that comes along with it, however they know that suffering is an unavoidable part of life. While the parents’ shelter their children for as long as they can, the children can remain ignorant to what life offers ahead. The symbolism portrayed here indicates that Sonny may want to stay in Harlem; when Sonny ran away he realized that he could not avoid the
Show More
Related

  • Attention Teenagers: Nobody Really Looks Like That 'By Perri Klass'

    1070 Words  | 5 Pages

    body. 2) How many sources are quoted in the article? There are five separate sources in the article "Attention Teenagers: Nobody really looks like That". The Growing Up Today Study from the journal "Pediatrics", Dr. Rodgers of North Eastern University, Dr. Calzo of Harvard Medical School, and Sara Forman of Boston's Children's Hospital are all sources that Perri Klass chose to gather information from. 3) Identify two quotes and their sources in the article. How does the author introduce the

    Read More

More about How Does The Author Use Darkness In Sonny's Blues

Open Document