Analysis of Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin Essay Samples and Topic Ideas

Baldwin in the 1950s. The story's setting is in Harlem, an area near New York mostly associated with African Americans. Harlem serves as a trap in the story where the narrator and his brother must escape (Golden 555). The narrator starts with him reading a newspaper about his brother called Sonny. Sonny is serving a jail sentence after being caught up in drugs. The narrator is a teacher and keeps wondering too if his students are suffering the same fate as Sonny. Initially, the narrator does not write to Sonny, but after her daughter succumbs to polio, the two starts exchanging letters. Sonny and the narrator are the main characters although there are others like Sonny’s parents and sister. Sonny...