Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin A gripping story of a relationship between two disturbing brothers in Harlem, "Sonny's Blues" is told from the perception of Sonny's brother, whose name is never mentioned . Baldwin's choice of Sonny's brother as narrator is what makes "Sonny's Blues" significant in terms of illustrating the relationship and emotional complications of Sonny and his brother. The significance of "Sonny's Blues" lies in how Sonny's brother describes their relationship based on what he observes, hears, and feels, and how he struggles to understand Sonny throughout the story. This is the story of how two African American brothers embark on their own paths in life as they struggle to find meaning in their lives. Sonny's brother's point of view is shared in this story as he feels responsible to keep his brother safe. The brother learns to listen throughout this story to better understand Sonny's life. This story is mainly about the life of Sonny's brothers, how he struggled in his life and how he now sees his younger brother Sonny going through the same situation. He is worried about Sonny's life; that Sonny may not be able to escape the turmoil that life brings, especially being a musician with no ties to family and job security. Sonny's brother sees Sonny trying to become a jazz musician. Watch and listen as Sonny goes through many hardships in life. He doesn't want Sonny to become a jazz musician, because there's no future in that. At the end of the story, Sonny's brother goes to the nightclub to watch... middle of paper... Blues" which illustrates what life was like growing up in an African American family in the 1930s and 1960s. Black Americans struggled to leave the their imprint on society. The life of the extraordinary blind musician Ray Charles comes to mind as I struggle to understand how African American culture has learned to survive in this particular time by relying on drugs to forget its past and living in a society in which the black man struggled to make a living. Both men used their rhythm and blues music to gain the respect of family and friends in times of racism, segregation and poverty..