THESIS IDEAS
James Baldwin uses Sonny’s artistic gift, external conflict, and drug addiction in “Sonny’s Blues” to argue that he was born into a society that was built against black people; and that friendship and brotherhood are valuable in regards to dealing with the struggles that come with being black in America.
1st Draft
Systematic racism and injustice against people of color has been seen across America for centuries. The discrimination that is disturbingly present is not supposed to be occurring. The system is built to protect people who do not look like what society wants them to, which is like them. When an individual looks different, speaks another language, or even has different struggles society dislikes that because it is viewed as not the norm. People of color grow up with the knowledge that they will never have the privilege that white individuals have, and that life will be harder because of the color of their skin. All of these challenges can drive an individual to the brink of losing themselves and their values. It can force them to turn to substances that numb the pain they have felt their entire lives. The idea that the hardships that society places on people of color are portrayed throughout the short story “Sonny’s Blues”, where James Balwin illustrates that friendship and brotherhood are needed in regards to dealing with the struggles and hardships that come with being black in America.
This short story takes place in Harlem, New York City during the late 1950s in a predominately low-income black neighborhood. It is clear that Sonny and his family face different forms of racism and discrimination throughout their lives. Sonny’s uncle was unjustifiably killed in a hit and run by white men who were driving drunk (Baldwin, ). Sonny’s father was traumatized by the remembrance of his own brother’s death which changed his mindset and feelings towards white individuals from a positive one to a rapidly increasing hatred (Baldwin, ). These are painful deaths for Sonny and his family, and it shows readers that Black Americans have a much darker, and tougher life because they are pushed down by the hands of white racist America. This is shown in “How We Rise: is the United States a racist country” seeing as the article states that that life is different if you are Black, and unfortunately systemic racism seems to ripple through our social institutions and into our daily social interactions and that These types of experiences—racialized cuts and hurdles—have a cumulative effect on health” (Ray,n.pg.). So at the end of the day, color does matter in the eyes of society and the racism individuals of color face is a disease that they are handed by the system in this country.
Sonny’s struggles with growing up black in a racist America drove him to drugs and to become an addict. Sonny’s struggles with growing up black in a racist America drove him to drugs and to become an addict. It is shown throughout the article “The Science of Drug Use: A Resource for the Justice Sector” that Drug use can start as a way to escape—but it can quickly make your life worse. Drug addiction is when you can’t stop taking the drug even if you want to. The urge is too strong to control, even if you know the drug is causing harm”
The hardships he was forced to endure and the discrimination made him view heroin as an escape from his reality which is being judged and wronged because of the color of his skin. The racist society that many people have grown up in portrays addicts as individuals who are self-sabotaging. However, this self-sabotage is the result of years of detrimental trauma and endless obstacles an individual has had to maneuver around throughout their life. Now being an addict and a person of color is a double target on the backs of people such as Sonny. His addiction can be further analyzed with the Freudian concepts of the id, the ego, and the superego. Freud states in his lectures that “We approach the id with analogies: we call it a chaos, a cauldron full of seething excitations” (Freud ). This showcases that the id represents our inner hidden desires which are unconscious. Freud says that the super-ego “applies the strictest moral standard to the helpless ego which is at its mercy; in general it represents the claims of morality” (Freud) Sonny joins the army as a method to overcome his addiction and quite this action can be perceived as Sonny’s super-ego mediating the conflict at hand which is his addiction. His id is the desire to do drugs in the first place, and his ego is trying to make society accept him as both an addict and a person of color in this world.
Enduring the struggles he has faced was much harder seeing as he had just his mother and brother in his life. Sonny grew up without a father in his life and this alone put him further back in life than other individuals. As seen in Freud’s lectures a child needs a parent to identify with while growing up. If this identification process is skipped then it negatively affects them in the long run (Freud). Seeing as Sonny only had an older brother, his mother begged Sonny’s brother to look out for him, and act as that father figure he desperately needs: You got to hold on to your brother,” she said, “and don’t let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you get with him. You going to be evil with him many a time. But don’t you forget what I told you, you hear?” (Baldwin 9). This showcases how Sonny’s mother deeply felt that it was important that her sons stick together, and look out for each other in this dark world.
