Ronnie Heyman
Eng 102

In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues", the protagonist and narrator relives and reveals his life with his brother Sonny. We learn from the start, that the narrator's brother is a troubled individual, who is mixed up in drugs and in trouble with the law. As the story progresses, the readers are pulled through a mix of flashbacks and current events, revealing that the narrator has been distant from his family and only reconnects with them when a major life event occurs. The protagonist is distant from Sonny because he truly doesn't understand him. While the narrator  was off in the military Sonny discovered he didn't want to travel the normal path by going to college and getting a job. Instead he chooses the life of a jazz musician and spends his time in Greenwich. Later the brothers finally connect when the narrator is invited by Sonny to see him play at a small jazz club. When the narrator finally hears his brother play, he comes to truly understand his brother. Sonny's difficult life is being expressed through his music and expresses himself in a way the narrator is not used to. This moment is critical for the brothers because they finally understand each other. They are no longer distant  and disconnected.