(FREE PDF) Sonny’s Blues: A Short Story By James Baldwin
Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin Pdf is the eBook of the famous short story, which consists of memories of a black algebra teacher in Harlem while reacting to his brother Sonny’s drug abuse, arrest, and recovery.
The story is narrated by the main character Sonny’s brother, however, his name was never mentioned in the story.
It is considered one of the most popular short stories by James Baldwin of all time.
Short Story Overview (Sonny’s Blues):
The first-person singular narrative style is adopted in this short story. The story starts with an unnamed narrator, an algebraic school teacher, reading about the arrest of his brother Sonny for possessing heroin.
The narrator goes on his duty at a high school in Harlem as an algebra teacher but begins to think about Sonny’s fate and worry about the young boys in his class.
Later, he meets a friend of Sonny, who regrets Sonny will cope with loneliness even after his recovery and release.
After the narrator’s young daughter Grace dies of polio, he determines to reach out to Sonny, who is in rehab after his arrest.
The narrator recalls old memories of going to the war, leaving Sonny with his wife Isabel and her parents. Sonny chooses to play the piano because of his obsessive passion.
Then once Isabel’s parents get to know about Sonny’s absence from his school, which prompted him to leave their house, drop out of school, and join the Navy for the war.
When the brothers return from the war, their relationship spoils as the narrator recurrentlyfights with Sonny.
Back in the present, the narrator reveals that Grace’s death has caused him to reflect on his role as an older brother, assuming that his absence undermined Sonny’s personal growth. The narrator decides to reconcile with Sonny.
Download Free Pdf eBook:
Get the Pdf eBook of this popular story by James Baldwin, which is told from first-person’s singular perspective and focuses on a young man named Sonny after his arrest for possessing drugs.
All the story is narrated by Sonny’s elder brother, whose name was never mentioned in the whole story.
If you are interested in reading short stories like this then you can also read another amazing short story “The Necklace“.
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