Silent Suffering and Racism in Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Drug Addiction
Dehumanizing Harlem Neighborhood
Natural Suffering by Humans
Limited Economic Opportunities
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction

Racism refers to the belief that certain tribes or descents are superior to others. It can also be applied as a tool to express the idea of ethnic supremacy against another. In the twentieth century, racism became a widespread problem for many individuals, especially persons of African ancestry in societies such as America and Europe. In his broadly anthologized art named “Sonny’s Blues”, James Baldwin discusses a story of two siblings who after an elongated conceptual difference come to understand one another of the foregoing in society. Two brothers; a musician who later turned a drug addict and the other, a qualified teacher dominates the story. The siblings and some of their family members encounter racial bigotry due to their status being Black Americans.

The art begins with the narrator grasping the arrest of his drug-addicted brother while heading to his station of work. Baldwin reflects on the level of institutional bigotry in society by illustrating numerous instances in the work. Institutional intolerance displays how individuals encounter the ill impacts of discrimination because it is highly embedded in societal structures and authorities such as police officers, justice frameworks, and many other institutions. Baldwin employs various instances that encompass transgenerational upbringing in the dehumanizing Harlem neighborhood, street temptations through drug addiction, limited economic chances, and the normal attribute of human beings to undergo suffering to show racism.

Drug Addiction

Suffering remains a conspicuous element in Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blue” in many instances. Right from the demise of the author’s daughter to the appalling drug addiction by Sonny coupled with the dreadful murder of the narrator’s cherished uncle, the theme of suffering controls the community in numerous ways. As Sonny fervently posits, suffering in the community is hardly unavoidable. Baldwin’s art depicts suffering in the narration through the darkness that invades the lives of the speaker’s community and even the family (Baldwin 126). Sonny recounts that his drug addiction in an attempt to withstand the long-standing suffering would almost make him paralyzed.

While Sonny is suffering for all the pain heroin inflicts on him, it is critical to both redemption and art. Sonny remarks on the extent of pain the revival singer could have undergone to entertain too gorgeously. The audience can relate that Sonny’s song comes from equally dark encounters. Darkness and suffering, when used artistically, can generate works of unmatched beauty. The aspects of suffering also confer the capacity to comprehend and feel genuine compassion for other individuals, which remains key for ultimate redemption. However, it is not until the throbbing demise of his daughter that the speaker starts to discuss a path that results in salvation.

From this perspective, it is apparent that the theme of suffering, especially those faced by persons of African origin in America becomes worrying. Even though Baldwin’s major idea on the racism aspect in the art will be deeply discussed, the death of the speaker’s uncle also highlights the epic of the problem. It becomes more vivid that the repercussions of the nature of treatment accorded to black Americans are pervasive. Sonny’s father also feels tormented by the perpetual reminiscence of the brother’s demise as well as the suffering arising from hatred by white persons. The bigotry, Baldwin mentions, covers his soul and makes him believe that he does not belong to this particular society (Baldwin 132). Moreover, Sonny’s mother also experiences this ubiquitous suffering in Harlem.

Dehumanizing Harlem Neighborhood

Racism is infrequently cited but its force can be felt far and wide throughout the art as shown by the dilapidated living conditions in the Harlem neighborhood. For instance, Baldwin says dilapidated housing initiatives that stem from Harlem are like rocks at the center of a boiling ocean (Baldwin 132). The outcome of federal and local segregationist building policies depicts the influence of racism in society. The houses are made to look like decrepit structures in the middle of an isolated environment that should only fit persons of black origin. The comparison further illustrates the deep-rooted nature of racism that lies in downtrodden society. In the same scenario, the narrator’s anxiety towards his learners can be attached to Sonny’s situation where young black Americans reside in a society that ruthlessly undervalues their role and contribution to nation-building. Precisely, they are viewed as the enemy of the development owing to the nature of heroin addiction that Sonny struggled to shake coupled with boundless instances of discernment.

Most of the suffering and darkness in the narration are attributed to the impacts of numerous cases of racism. The bigotry appears to be somehow inherited from one generation to another. The vague and consistent impact of racism ultimately becomes clear and explicit when the speaker’s mother opens up about how some white men killed her relative. She also took the opportunity to warn the reporter of the same fate that could befall him. The clear accounts of racism encountered by persons of African origin make them feel insecure and outcast in the society they have always called home (Baldwin 140). The entrenchment of the same at various levels of society even makes the situation deteriorates with nowhere to seek a reprieve.

Sonny’s Blues proceeds to inquire about these societal injustices as ways to find a long-lasting solution to this menace that denies them the right to live peacefully in a society without interference. Baldwin vividly organizes the story to raise the issues in society, especially during the period of intense racism in America. It is slightly captured in a precise but clever manner that draws the attention of the world. For instance, the deplorable living conditions in Harlem courtesy of the government housing strategy show the impact of segregation in such a society. In another scenario, the critical part of the narrator’s anxiety is the nature of the response to address the open cases of racism. The little to lack of willingness to address this matter points to the unprepared nature of society to accommodate diversity.

Perhaps, Baldwin could have been inspired by the famous apex court judgment that streamlined racism cases. For instance, the Brown versus Board of Education case of 1957 recognized the kind of challenges that Black Americans face in society (The United States Courts Para 12). Segregation was at its highest and even institutions of learning could not be spared from the such retrogressive act. The bill was the turning point toward the abolishment of racism. Society around that time began to have a different dimension of ethnicity and prejudice and its impact on individuals and society at large. The act allowed those institutions and persons who had even begun defying the Supreme Court pronouncement on the raging matter to adhere to the demanding laws.

The author also can be seen as a beneficiary of the act since he found freedom and could assemble and discuss matters of interest without fear of reprisal. For instance, in 1963, the writer organized a team of black leaders to meet General Kennedy to deliberate on race matters. Kennedy had also been brought up in Harlem, a place he would label as a concentration camp and a dreadful environment due to its desensitizing conditions. Because of racism, society often views persons with less income and poverty-stricken areas to be of little significance in national building and should not be allowed in any discussion.

Natural Suffering by Humans

Racism will have social consequences for an individual since it can generate suffering in their current lifestyle. As Baldwin illustrates, the kind of prejudice met by persons of African origin should never be allowed to take shape in part of the world. The draconian and retrogressive acts have surely no place in society. Human beings are known to have a period of lows and highs, and that should not be dictated by either an individual or society. The Harlem neighborhood is a source of prejudice and brutalizing to the residents (Baldwin 141). Racial profiling by the environment and not individual’s capability should not be allowed to prevail in any society that wants to progress.

Limited Economic Opportunities

Moreover, the situation also limited economic activities that black persons could perform in such an oppressive setting. The lack of concern and need to improve the living conditions as manifested by government housing schemes further points to a broken society that does not value inclusivity by all means. Baldwin documents that the resolve to venture into drug abuse and selling is a strategy to navigate the tough environment that would easily paralyze him if such an action is not taken. Using drugs is not acceptable and even harmful to life, Sonny has no choice but to delve into the matter while knowing the consequences. Institutional prejudice displays the way by which individuals encounter the ill impacts of discrimination because it is highly embedded in the social edifices and authorities such as the police officers, the justice outlines, and many other establishments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the fact is that racism is a major influencing factor of suffering in Baldwin’s art titled Sonny’s Blues. For the author, being black only encompassed part of his identity and pointed diversity but should not form an element of prejudice when handling him. Sonny’s instances of suffering occur due to various aspects triggered by his race. The factors encompass upbringing in the dehumanizing environment called Harlem, street temptations, restrictions of economic chances, and the innate nature of human beings to often undergo suffering.

Moreover, the protracted history of suffering by Black Americans, largely informs the four Sonny’s blues. Precisely, the narrative is tailored particularly personally when the narrator listens to how his uncle perished by being run over by intoxicated white men. Sonny’s brother recaps to the readers the situations encountered by black persons in the town when discloses the levels of poverty and neglect in Harlem. Finally, Baldwin attains many elements through the art of Sonny’s Blues. The story not only acts as a memoir of the true situation of Black Americans in Harlem in the 1950s but also depicts the fights they regularly faced concerning moral and ethical values.

Work Cited

Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues” The Oxford Book of American Short Stories edited by Joyce Carol Oates, Oxford University Press, 2013 pp. 122-149.

The United States Courts. “History – Brown v. Board of Education Re-enactment” The United States Courts, n.d., Web.

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