Previous
Flashbacks
Key Examples in Sonny’s Blues
Foil
Explanation and Analysis—The Narrator and Sonny:
The narrator and Sonny act as foils in the story, meaning that the juxtaposition of their personalities reveals important aspects of each of the characters. In “Sonny’s Blues,” Baldwin intentionally juxtaposes the narrator’s rule-following and regimented nature with Sonny’s passionate and artistic personality. This difference between the two brothers comes across in the following passage:
“Well, Sonny,” I said, gently, “you know people can’t always do exactly what they want to do—”
“No, I don’t know that,” said Sonny, surprising me. “I think people ought to do what they want to do, what else are they alive for?”
“You getting to be a big boy,” I said desperately, “it’s time you started thinking about your future.”
“I’m thinking about my future,” said Sonny, grimly. “I think about it all the time.”
Related Themes:
