“Some escaped the trap, most didn’t. Those who got out always left something of themselves behind, as some animals amputate a leg and leave it in the trap” ( Baldwin 5).

        This quote is significant because it portrays the themes of escapism, suffering, and restraint in the black community. It makes me feel disappointed and angry because of the social control that is present in their environment.  This is familiar to them but baneful to their lives. However, it is clear through both this quote and the image above that it is hard to leave the environment that you grew up in even if leaving is what is best for you. If you do manage to get out and start over, there is still a piece of you left behind, that you can never forget. The image itself showcases crabs in a crowded environment basically drowning in the attempt of escaping. Only one crab made it out in this picture, but it will always have a piece of itself left behind with the rest of the crabs. This image represents black people trapped in an environment that forces them to endure hardships and adds to their struggles. 

        In the short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, the narrator leaves his struggles in his low-income neighborhood in Harlem and becomes an algebra teacher in a predominantly white school (Baldwin 1). He tries to convince his younger brother Sonny to leave as well and overcome his drug addiction (Baldwin 9). However, just like in the image and quote above leaving the hood is a hard thing to do. Even if one makes it out of the hood, there will still be a piece of his past that will stay with him just like an animal amputating its leg and leaving it in the trap (Baldwin 5). Both the quote from the story and image above illustrate the Freudian concept of sublimation seeing as  Sonny’s brother and the crabs that represent people are expressing negative urges into socially acceptable actions (Freud 2238).