Sonny's Blues

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Take 2 events in the story and discuss how they help the reader understand the character of the narrator, Sonny's brother, and/or Sonny's character.

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Last updated by Aslan
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I can give you one. Consider the idea of art. Art plays an important role in "Sonny's Blues", acting as a bridge between the estranged brothers. Sonny's inability to speak and the narrator's inability to listen prevent the brothers from truly communicating with or understanding one another throughout their lives. Music becomes a channel through which Sonny can make himself understood. Witnessing the music of the street revival brings the brothers closer, prompting their first honest conversation in the work. More remarkably, at the climax, Sonny's music helps the narrator finally understand his life and trials. The connection art facilitates becomes the catalyst for a genuine epiphany in the narrator. As one critic explains, "By understanding Sonny's pain and accepting his humanity, his brother understands and accepts himself" (Nelson 28). Art then functions as a means not only for communication, but ultimately for redemption. Baldwin's commentary about the importance of stories suggests that writing, like music and other forms of art, serves this purpose.