Interpretation of Sonny's Blues

Sonny’s Blues is a story that is wrapped up in symbolism and weaves certain key motifs from beginning to end. This is one of my favorite stories and I have come to find that with every read I seem to find that another theme, meaning or lesson is illuminated and each time I feel that it is just as important, if not more important than the one previously discovered. With this realization I decided that I would break down some themes and pin point them throughout the story. Then after doing that I would attempt to give an overall interpretation.
The first and most prominent theme is that of brotherhood and suffering. The narrator’s level of responsibility towards his brother centers around his last conversation with his mother when he promises “I won’t let nothing happen to Sonny.” No sooner did he make this promise to his mother was he then married and off to the military. He did not remember this conversation until he was brought home from the military for his mother’s funeral. After “taking care” of Sonny by having him stay with his wife and her family he thought that was the extent of what he needed to do. It was the conversation prior to sending him there that his ignorance towards music and his careless attitude about what his brother wanted undoubtedly signified that at this point he was not his brother’s keeper in any way. This conversation also lets us in on how Sonny must have felt as his brother did not even attempt to understand him.
Furthermore, the narrator did make it rather clear how Sonny must have felt in Isabel and her family’s house as well, being that no one understood him and his passion for music. It was evident that they just tolerated him. The constant lack of understanding that surrounded him leaves one with a weary and alone feeling.
There are many instances in which we see that the reality of Sonny’s problem may not have completely escaped the narrator, however he chose to disregard it in order to justify not dealing with it. He is finally slapped in the face with reality when he picks up the newspaper and reads about his brother’s heroin habit many years later after becoming a high school algebra teacher, having his own children and being very much settled. He began to deal with the reality of his brother’s problem, but did not write him until the death of his daughter, Grace. Upon this tragic event in his life he describes his realization as such: “My trouble made his real”. This then allows him to begin to understand his brother’s suffering, regain contact with him and eventually reunite with Sonny.
In reference to suffering, the two brothers had very conflicting views about how to deal with it. The narrator’s view of suffering was that although it does exist it is not what life revolves around. He knew that there were bad times in life, but overall he believed that life could be beautiful rather than this constant attempt at escaping suffering. This is where he and his brother differed most and caused them to lead very different lives. As we begin to hear Sonny’s perspective in their last conversation of the story we see that his whole life is an attempt to escape suffering. The narrator really struggles seeing Sonny’s perspective, but the progress of their relationship lies in the fact that he is trying to understand Sonny.

The second theme I found was that there was a significant amount of memories and flashbacks described throughout the story. This theme was introduced in the second paragraph of the story as the narrator states that his queasiness was due to him remembering “some specific things Sonny had once said or done.” So here are a few and what I think that may have signified.

The story of Sonny's high school friend:
This is the beginning of the audiences understanding of what the narrator and Sonny’s childhood was like and what circumstances they had to deal with at a very young age. Hearing the vivid description of the friend and gaining insight of where his life has taken him we are able to see that the lives they led have been greatly effected by their childhood. We come to grips with the fact that the narrator had taken the road less traveled to get to the place that he was. Meeting up with their childhood friend also reveals the narrator’s anger towards the entire situation which eventually leads to the primary emotion of sadness as he begins to search for the answers about his brother’s lifestyle.

Sonny's dream of going to India:
This situation exposes more about their different personalities than anything else. We see that Sonny is much more of an idealist and dreamer while the narrator holds a realistic and almost cynical point of view.

The brothers' drive through their childhood neighborhood:
This memory-filled drive really allows the audience to see the hardship they faced on a regular basis and the seriousness of trying to get out of it and let go. It seems as if it is somewhat impossible to take your entire self out of that lifestyle, those circumstances and that mindset. The innocence that most children have is stripped away as they face situations much too early in life primarily because of their surroundings. The literal distance between Sonny and the narrator as they sit in the car and drive through this area shows that there are a lot of pent up emotions that have never been processed or dealt with. As these emotions are stirred up once again the tension rises and silence settles.

Their father's attitude:
This clearly indicates that their father never was able to get passed the hardships he faced when he was younger and lends to the reason why these two boys today have so much trouble dealing with their problems. They also are lacking in the communication and understanding area of their relationship, most likely because they never received that from their father. What is also interesting about their father’s attitude is that it appears that much of it stems from the loss of his brother – which is an important lesson for his sons to grasp.

The old folks at Sunday dinners:
The old folks definitely revealed that Harlem was not a new found struggle for the kids, in fact, it was something that each of them had “endured”. However, the adults did not take the stand point of warning their children instead they spoke of it amongst themselves sparing the children of knowing too much too soon.



Their mother's death:
This event was what made the narrator’s conversation with his mother come flooding back. However, even at this point he didn’t have a complete understanding of what it meant to really care for his brother the way his mother intended.

Their mother's story of their uncle's death:
This really lends to the setting in which the story is written and the present racial struggles they are facing. This also reveals an innate bitterness that they may have naturally learned from their father who never got past his brother’s death. This story also leads us to understand the level of responsibility that the narrator feels for his brother simply because he has the privilege of still having a brother that is alive.

The brothers' relationship after their mother's death:
Their relationship didn’t blossom after their mother’s death, in fact, the lack of understanding between the brother’s remained until the very end of the story when the narrator listens to his brother for the first time.

Sonny's life after he left Isabel's:
Sonny ran, he went “as far as the navy would carry him” and once he did see his brother again it was nothing but fighting. He was never understood or accepted by his brother so he was ok with being “dead to his brother”. From that point on communication dwindled until the end.


The next theme that ran throughout the story was the detailed descriptions of light and darkness. I think that teach description seemed to coincide with one another and that the significance was the same throughout.
Darkness is touched on in the very first paragraph of the story as the narrator reads or better stated stares at the newspaper article about his log lost brother. It says: “I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside.” This gives the readers a glimpse of the theme upfront, but the depth of these opening words very often goes overlooked in the first read through.
Darkness is introduced much more in depth very early in the story as the narrator describes his students. He says:
“All they really knew were two darknesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness, and in which they now, vindictively, dreamed at once more together than they were at any other time, and more alone.

Furthermore, his description of their childhood friend weighs heavily on the bright sun hitting him: “The bright sun deadened his damp dark brown skin and it made his eyes look yellow…”. This description leads the audience to visualize a less than decent looking man.
The first letter he receives back from sonny begins with describing himself as a “man who’s been trying to climb up out of some deep, real deep and funky hole and just saw the sun”. It seems in this instance the sun represents freedom, the outside world. Just shortly after we read about the reunion of the two brothers and the narrator describes the depths of Sonny’s private life as “an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light.” It seems in just his smile he was begging to be led out of this God-forsaken darkness and just be free.
His description of the old folks after Sunday dinner also includes much description which leans heavily on the symbolism behind the light and darkness. “You can see the darkness growing against the window panes…”, “For a moment no one is talking, but every face looks darkening,…”, “The silence, the darkness coming, and the darkness in the face frighten the child obscurely.”, “…turn on the light.”, “And when the light fills the room, the child is filled with the darkness.”, “….just moved a little closer to that darkness outside.”, “The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about.’. It is clear that in these two paragraphs the darkness represent the reality of the struggle which the old folks have already faced and which the children are bound to face. The light ironically enough seems to be what hides the inevitable circumstances.
The next scene which darkness appears is in the description of their father’s brother being hit by a car. The narrator’s mother said “He says he never in his life seen anything as dark as that road after the lights of that car had gone away.” This is definitely the point which his father became bitter towards all white men and surely dictated that to his children even if he did not do it verbally. This scene also allows us to see the time which they were living in, one of segregation and hate between different ethnicities.
Another description allows the darkness and light to reveal worry in Sonny’ s face. The narrator says “But the worry, the thoughtfulness, played on still, the way shadows play on a face which is staring into the fire.”
Still another instance when the narrator is “sitting in the living room in the dark” is when he first decided to write Sonny a letter. This is the moment the suffering of his little brother becomes real to him.
The conversation that the brothers finally have at the end of the story wraps up with the sun vanishing and the statement “soon darkness will fall” preceding the admittance to the possibility of Sonny’s suffering returning.
The very last scene of the story is filled with “atmospheric lighting” described the narrator himself. He sat in a dark corner as he watches Sonny and the men Sonny is playing with move in and out of the light throughout the performance. The narrator says that they were careful not to step into the circle of light too suddenly as if they were avoiding perishing in the flame. This was quite a visual and it seems to illuminate the fact that they longed for freedom but feared the result of it all at the same time – to allow light in would not only shine on the road to freedom but would also uncover the darkness. He continues to describe each man playing with Sonny by their stature and the tone of their skin. He closes finally with the glow of the “very cup of trembling” signifying a shift in their lives. This description is a strong close to the story and a very strong significance in the “glow” of the cup which obviously would break the darkness.

Lastly, one of the most obvious motifs is music – and its significance is probably the most important. Music is represented in the very beginning of the story by a student whistling a tune that was “holding its own through all those other sounds.” This to me was the line that opened the authority and power of music, it was a simple whistle that carried itself through the joking, laughter and cursing and throughout the rest of the story music would hold its own. The ability to wrap this theme up in an explanation far exceeds my expertise in literature. Nonetheless, I will attempt to understand it further.
Music in Harlem is not unlike music today for many people. It seems to be an escape for many characters in the story including Sonny, the barmaid and even the narrator at some points. However, the music also seems to follow the mood of the story itself as the scene of the uncle being run over and the sound of the guitar giving in very clearly portrays.
For Sonny music is usually the “cloud” that allows him to escape for a while. It was his safety net and reason for living when he was living in Isabel’s house after his mother died. It said that while he was there he was “at the piano playing for his life.” It is also what he pours his life into and the reason he turns to drugs to bring him to another level in his music.
Gospel songs seemed to be carefully woven through as well. Mama hums “Lord, you brought me from a long ways off”, “’Tis the old ship of Zion” and the very significant “If I could hear my mother pray again.” The mention of this last gospel song is significant as the narrator longs to have his mother’s guidance in this situation. Yet Sonny declares it a terrible song and the moment passes quicker than the readers can possible grasp its depth.
Furthermore, the music represents the misunderstanding between the brothers as well. One of the first personal statements that the narrator makes about his brother’s music was that he didn’t like it because it seemed “to be merely an excuse for the life he led It sounded just that weird and disordered.” The narrator disregards Sonny’s passion for music and it is not until the end when he really listens to Sonny play for the first time that he begins to understand his brother.
The last scene of the story we see that the musicians are allowing the instruments be their means of communication as they talk back and forth. The music has life and it was unveiling much of what the darkness so often kept hidden in the world outside of music. The name of the story is taken from the last scene when all of the people that Sonny is playing with give the song over to Sonny. They allow the song to be his own and are there at this point only to support him. They surround the piano as he plays and through the song his life story is told and freedom begins to fill the room and the heart of his brother. “Sonny’s fingers filled the air with life, his life.”

The last two paragraphs of the story we begin to understand the lessons that the narrator has learned and we see almost ever theme tied into this ending. The narrator at this point finally began to understand hope and freedom as Sonny played his song of victory. He came to understand what Sonny had made it through and what he was still making it through. He began to face what seemed impossible before: his mother’s death, his uncle’s death and his daughter’s death. He felt the pain rise with in him and he faced the emotion he so often overlooked. The greatest lesson he learned in that corner table was that when he focused in and really listened he would understand, specifically his brother, but in broader terms, life in a whole new way. As the scotch and milk glass sat on Sonny’s piano the narrator saw it as the “cup of trembling” and in this moment he knew his brother’s pain, he knew his brother’s struggle. The narrator learned the valuable lesson to listen, began to really know who his brother was and became better equipped in that moment to face the many trials he had been through.
I, as the reader, learned a great deal about the courage it takes to really face some of life’s trials. I began to see the pain that an addict faces even after the fact. My eyes were opened to the realty of what it takes to really understand what a person feels regardless of whether they are in the wrong or not. A person’s feelings and perspective really do matter and when one takes the time to fully comprehend that, they have the ability to deal with a plethora of different situations they may be faced with. I was able to have a clearer picture of the time period they lived in concerning the issue of racism and I also had a clearer picture of the struggle that those in areas like Harlem are facing day in and day out of the lives.

Overall this story is about the relationship between two brothers who were raised in the midst of unfortunate circumstances. The narrator seems to relinquish his resentment towards his brother and regain love and responsibility for Sonny. Just shortly after their reunion the narrator says:
“I was remembering, and it made it hard to catch my breath, that I had been there when he was born; and I had heard the first words he had ever spoken. When he started to walk, he walked from out mother straight to me. I caught him just before he fell when he took the first steps he ever took in the world.”
The realization that in the past he was able to catch his little brother before he fell was the inner battle he constantly fought. This was the reoccurring memory that coincided with his mother’s charge: “You got to hold on to your brother, and don’t let him fall…” Unfortunately he was no longer in the position to catch him before he fell, but now he was looking at his brother on the ground trying to understand how he ended up there and trying to help him back up. This is the journey the narrator takes throughout the story. I think that in the end, at the very least, he begins to understand how Sonny has ended up where he is and his willingness to listen is the first step to grabbing Sonny’s hand and tugging him to his feet again.
The final quotes that struck me deeply and I believe were the true start to freedom for both brothers are:
“For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we ma triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other take to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness.”
“Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did.”
It was in this moment that the narrator not only understood his brother’s suffering, but recognized all of the suffering he and his family had faced and for the first time was moving past it. He felt the power of the music and in that he was able to hear Sonny’s soul speak through the music.

Some more processing of Waiting For Godot

"Hope deferred maketh the something sick..." -Vladimir
This is the quote that really allowed me to begin to understand what this play was about. It was the quote that set the stage for me and allowed me to feel the weight of their burder - their desire for Godot to arrive. There anticipation was the reason why they were there, why they kept on living, why they stood together and the reason they had any hope of being saved. If Godot didn't show up it would be a let down that made the "something" sick and we know that something is the heart.

I think that the tree growing leaves in the second act signified that there was still hope. There was still hope for salvation fo the the main characters - which would be realized at the arrival of Godot. Its in the simplest form of life that hope exists.

I think the repetition found in the script, the two acts and in the characters appearances was used to show that our lives are redudant at times. We have daily routines, habits, agendas that happen over and over.

Furthermore, I think the last converstation on the last page really ties it all together well. This to me is the summation of the entire play. If I was to propose an interpretation of the play I would say that Beckett is looking to poke fun at the absurdity of everyday life. He is looking to highlight the fact that mankind goes through life waiting for a reason to live it. Humans long to have a purpose, even if its found in someone or something they are not familiar with or fully sure of, like Godot's arrival. These two characters are anticipating Godot to be there means of salvation, as they put it. If he arrives - they are saved and if he doesn't they will hang themselves. Life with a purpose or death all depends on Godot's arrival - that's a lot of weight to put on a man they wouldn't even recognize if he walked in.

ESTRAGON: I can't go on like this.
VLADIMIR: That's what you think.
ESTRAGON: If we parted? That might be better for us.
VLADIMIR: We'll hang ourselves to-morrow. (Pause) Unless Godot comes.
ESTRAGON: And if he comes?
VLADIMIR: We'll be saved
Vladimir takes off his hat (Lucky's), peers inside it, feels about inside it, shakes it, knocks on the crown, puts it on again.

Processing....

"Waiting For Godot" may be one of the most unique plays I have ever read. I walked away not knowing how to describe it because of how little actually occured in the play. The characters conversed, they tried to entertain themselves, the encountered a few different people passing through and they called it a night when it became dark.

After doing some research on the play I found commentary bv Vivian Mercier, an Irish literary who was a student of Beckett’s work, and he said Beckett "... has achieved a theoretical impossibility—a play in which nothing happens, that yet keeps audiences glued to their seats. What's more, since the second act is a subtly different reprise of the first, he has written a play in which nothing happens, twice." (Irish Times, 18 February 1956, p. 6.). This really is how I felt by the end of the play – nothing had happened yet I didn’t read the play completely aggravated. I did begin to wonder when I read the second act why everything was happening again, and by everything I mean nothing.

I begin to think how that first audience must have felt. I don’t know if I could have sat through the play either. I know many got up and left the first showing and how can you blame them. I thought that maybe I was missing the deeper meaning and I found that many people have many interpretations of the play. However, Becket himself said that people are making to much of it. I think he did intend for it to be simple, a minimalist play and it doesn’t necessarily have to mean the deepest of things. With that, I think Becket did throw some lines in the play that do have a significant meaning. He made quite a few Biblical references, he discussed suicide, and he used a lot of repetition. What the meaning is of all of these different lines – I don’t know. I’m looking forward to hearing more opinions.

Pass.

"I went to Lake Bonny Park for this assignment, and I stayed there for at least 50 minutes."

Sometimes you just have to stop and take in beauty.

As I sat and just enjoyed reality, enjoyed the light, enjoyed the breeze, enjoyed the heat on my cheeks, enjoyed the shadows of the trees - I began to appreciate beauty all over again. Not only did I appreciate beauty, but I appreciated the creator of this beauty. What a spiritual moment to truly be still and know that He is God.

As I read the poem "Messenger" through numerous times the words seemed to come off the page. My work at that moment was truly to love the world. I honestly understood that nature was seeking sweetness. The fields were rejoicing. I was living forever in that moment. This poem should become a spiritual practice, because in this moment I was reminded how small I am in this beautiful creation, how small the cares of the world really are, how big our creator truly is and how little I can control.

The reality of God's sovereignty brings both humility and relief in equal measure. I am inadequate, in my weakness He is strong, many are the plans in my heart but thankfully it is HIS will that prevails. Ahh, all of this from the simple act of being still. Yet how rare of an occasion it is for me to stop, be still and know. The noise seems endless, the tasks pile on, the to-do list grows longer and longer, the worries filtrate in at an overwhelming rate, the needs of people are disheartening, money is always lacking, tomorrow is always too early and today isn't long enough, do-do-do, go-go-go that is the music of the world.

However, when I stopped I didn't hear the deafening racket that my life often plays, I heard a Jack Johnson beat and felt God's peace all around me.

"My work is loving the world,

Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird -

Equal seekers of sweetness..."

"Red-Cheeked"

"Whenever I get home - whenever-

somebody loves me there."

It's currently 40 degrees in Howell, NJ. Transitioning from 80 degrees to 40 degrees can make any one's cheeks turn rosy. I'll be traveling on November 24th by plane. I'll get off the plane somewhat absent-minded about the cold because my mind will be preoccupied wondering who will be picking me up. They usually say its just my mom or just my sister, but more than likely a whole crowd will be gathered just around the corner - mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, uncle. Whats funny is that I'm always surprised - genuinely surprised too.
I also start to wonder where they'll be when I get off the plane. Will they be right at the gate, will they be around the corner at the end of the escalator, will they be waiting at baggage claim, or was traffic a little much this time so they will be just pulling up at the curb as I come off the plane? Oh the anticipation is so high every time. I guess 3 months is not the longest span of time to go without seeing someone, but its still is just as exhilarating.
I'll start walking down the narrow awkward aisle of the plane rubbing arms with people I've never met. I'll finally make it out the door into the shockingly breezy hanger that leads us all into the airport. I'll usually turn around to say good bye to whoever it is I befriended on the plane ride. Then the race is on, my heart is beating a million times a second and my mind starts all its wondering. When I finally figure out where they are all standing, I run and embrace whoever gets to me first. My eyes tear up a little - but I hold the tears back so I don't look so silly. I want them to know that I miss them but I don't want them to think I wasn't ok without them either. Anyway, we'll all walk very close together to the baggage claim - my brother-in-law usually grabs my bag and gets one of the first conversations with me while walking to the car.
The automatic doors leading outside slide open and all at once I remember where I am. The cold slaps me in the face. My cheeks turn red almost instantly. My body clings to itself in survival mode. My teeth start to chatter. And I begin to do an awkward trot/jog to the car. The feeling of the cold is overwhelming yet oddly refreshing, because at that moment I know where I am. "Whenever I get home - whenever - somebody loves me there.' Ahh, what a comforting assurance, what a privilege - one that is so often overlooked by those who think that love is the norm.
I loved this poem: "Walking Home From Oak-Head", because this is the time when I cannot wait to have the experience described above. This poem described the feeling of arriving home so wonderfully - as I read it my heart was so pleased. I cannot wait to be home for Thanksgiving!!