James Baldwin | Introduction to Literature ENG 131

Tag Archives: James Baldwin

by austinowens2 | September 3, 2013 · 1:48 am

Operation Failure

I really enjoyed the story “Sonny Blues” by James Baldwin. It had classic family issues in it. Whether you have a family member suffering from an addiction problem or not, you can relate something towards this story. I feel as if the film by Gregory Scott Williams Jr. was a terrible attempt to recreate the story. It missed a lot of key factors to understand the emotions that were explained in the literature. The way the film started really turned me off. I didn’t like the way it just started and had super short flashback trying to explain the story. In the film the brother did not seem too worried about sonny, while in the story he actually cared.

I’m not saying that the film did not capture anything from the literature. Towards the end it showed Sonny having trouble playing piano for the first time and he’s having a difficult time. One thing I thought the film did well was showing Sonny’s helplessness.

A Mother’s Love, and Harlem’s Absence

The tale of two brothers is highlighted in James Baldwin’s story “Sonny’s Blues”. Sonny, who is wild and rough, was a man who grew up in Harlem. In the short film by Mr. Williams, this was not very well represented. Harlem itself seemed to be absent from the film. The homes didn’t fit the background of Harlem. Harlem can play such a big role in the lives of the young people, yet in the film, Harlem didn’t seem to be an important character. Sonny’s brother describes Sonny in Harlem as “always [being] a good boy, he hadn’t ever turned hard or evil or disrespectful, the way kids can, so quick, so quick, especially in Harlem,” (Baldwin, 96).
Another main part of the story that is missing is Sonny’s brother’s conversation with his mom. While in the story this is a rather short flashback, it plays an instrumental role in describing the kind of relationship Sonny and his brother have. Without this part of the story, the audience is unable to fully see the depth of the brothers’ connection. While other parts of the story are missing, this part’s absence has the most detrimental effect.
Overall, by seeing and reading two different versions of the story, the audience gains a deeper understanding of the message as a whole. However, the short story gives a better description, both versions have their merits.

Balwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” 1957. The Norton Introduction to Literature. By Kelly J. Mays. 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. 96-118. Print.