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Mya Vo
Mr. Spera
Composition II
29 January 2025
Struggles of Suffering
In James Baldwin’s short story Sonny’s Blues, individual struggle due to generational
trauma was emphasized. Throughout the story, the narrator’s brother, Sonny, struggled with a
severe drug addiction. He used drugs to cope with the trauma that he inherited from his
childhood and past. He then turned to music after being rehabilitated to turn his life around and
to seek new ways to ease the pain that was caused by his traumatic experiences in life. In Sonny's
Blues, suffering being a universal struggle that individuals face is expressed by the
characterization of their early life, the symbolism of light and dark, and personal conflict.
Baldwin utilized characterization in Sonny’s Blues to highlight how individuals deal with
their emotions and struggles differently based on their childhood upbringing. The environment
Sonny grew up in was a community where “menace was their society” (Baldwin 5). It was a
place where many families struggled, and it was up to the children to determine whether they
escape and succeed in life or not. Most children who struggle with their childhood end up
suffering for a long period of time. Sonny’s characterization was shaped from where he grew up
and the trauma that he faced. Although he faced many hardships that led to his addiction to
drugs, he had a great will to do better in life than his parents. Additionally, since Sonny’s father
was always “fighting with him,” he was bound to develop insecurities within himself which led
him to turn to drugs to help him with his emotions (Baldwin 10). Sonny’s childhood upbringing
greatly affected his personality because of all the challenges that he faced. If Sonny had lived in
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a suburban community, he may have learned how to cope with his emotions in better ways
because his environment would be healthier, and he would not face as many struggles.
Additionally, the symbolism of light and darkness was incorporated in Sonny’s Blues to
describe the highs and lows that people experience while struggling. As the narrator describes
how the “light in [Sonny’s] face [had] gone out,” he is referring to the hope and happiness of his
brother which had disappeared (Baldwin 2). Sonny is like everyone else in the world who has the
desire to maintain happiness, yet during his struggles, he begins to lose the light and joy that he
once felt. With the traumatic events that he had experienced with family and life overall, it
changed his views and demeanor when it comes to what a good and fulfilled life is. Everyone in
the community is depicted as being “trapped in the darkness,” which illustrates that they feel as
if they are drowning in their struggles (Baldwin 1). Many people in the world encounter
struggles in life and some overcome them while others do not. Many people do not overcome
their struggles and continue to suffer. Sonny was one of those people who became trapped in
addiction, and it led to many more struggles for him in the long run, but he had the will to do
better and turned his life around.
Baldwin’s application of personal conflict in Sonny’s Blues represents that struggle is
universal and occurs throughout the world within many people frequently. The idea that Sonny
“want[ed] to die” was introduced in the story to highlight that the immense amount of struggle
that he began to face could have had a huge impact on his mental health (Baldwin 5). Not only
was he facing conflict within himself due to his past addiction that he developed to help him
cope with his past trauma, but he also faces the lack of faith from everyone around him. They
reflect their fear of Sonny falling back into drugs so greatly that it could end up affecting his self-
esteem. Sonny’s situation is a common conflict that people tend to face in the real world and is
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an everyday struggle for them. Drug addiction is such a serious topic that is overlooked by many,
yet Baldwin emphasizes the importance of the will necessary to be able to recover and better
one’s life.
Overall, characterization, symbolism, and conflict were illustrated to emphasize how
suffering is common and a universal struggle for individuals. Without the will to do better in life,
there is a continuance of struggle that is faced. People should be motivated to cope with their
emotions in a healthy manner after traumatic experiences by learning from others who have
overcome their struggles. Struggle is inevitable, but the outcome is in the hands of the person
who suffers.
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Works Cited
Baldwin, James. Sonny's Blues. Penguin Books, 1995. Print. 1-33.
