Analysis of Addiction and Mental Health in Sonny's Blues - EAC150

This essay delves into James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues,' exploring the portrayal of drug addiction and mental health issues within the context of the story's characters and setting. It examines the intricate relationship between music, particularly jazz, and drug use, highlighting how Sonny's addiction is both a source of suffering and a means of expressing his pain. The essay further analyzes how the author uses vivid imagery and character development to depict the impact of drug addiction on individuals and their relationships, ultimately arguing that 'Sonny's Blues' offers a nuanced and compassionate portrayal of addiction as a response to societal pressures and personal struggles. The analysis is supported by references to provided secondary sources, enhancing the exploration of these themes within the literary work. Desklib provides solved assignments and past papers for students.

Running head: SONNY’S BLUES
Sonny’s Blues
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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The essay aims to deal with the portrayal of addiction issues within individuals
verging on the brink of psychopathic tendencies. In this context the story Sonny’s Blues
written by James Baldwin will be taken into consideration since it is a fascinatingly gripping
story revolving round the idea of drug addiction and problems. The portrayal of drug
addiction in the light of mental health issues have been explored many times in literature and
cinema to give a voice to the helpless condition of the drug addicts. However, Sonnys’s Blues
reign supreme in this context due to the powerful handling by the author and graceful
delivery of it. Thesis Statement: Sonny’s Blues is a remarkable piece on the portrayal of
drug addiction and mental health issues because of the accomplished skills of the author.
Point 1, Paragraph 1: The story is a significant portrayal of the young American culture,
where author draws a poetic relationship between the musicians and drug in an intricate
manner. The story is also historically significant since it draws a comprehensive pattern
between jazz and drug consumption. This gives the readers a faint idea about the
interconnection between alcohol, sex, drug and jazz music. Many of the jazz musicians like
Charlie Parker were drug addicts and therefore it can be assumed that Sonny’s Blues is a
powerful commentary on the historical concept of Jazz itself. Portrayal of drug addiction has
to be assessed in the context of music and playful tunes.
Point 1, Paragraph: The backdrop of Sonny’s Blue is the 1950s Harlem where the main
character Sonny has to be emerged into drugs to alleviate his feeling of helplessness and
claustrophobia accentuated by his surroundings. The book gives the readers a glimpse into
Harlem where both jazz and drugs were a fundamental part of the early 20th century.
Point 1, Paragraph 3: The book gives vivid expression to the noisy proceedings to eccentric
sense of fashion with loud and tacky colors as an inherent part of Harlem. The book not only

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gives an aesthetically peasant portraiture of drug addiction but also historically prominent
depiction of the entire culture that spun itself out of it.
Point 2, Paragraph 1: Sonny’s life is dominated by his passion for jazz music and his drug
consumption is the driving force behind it. He channelizes his deprivation and suffering
through his music which has become a fundamental aspect of his life. The African American
neighborhood the New York City gives immense amount of knowledge regarding the culture
revival that was associated with drug addiction and the lives of impoverished and oppressed
lot.
Point 2, Paragraph 2: The book gives a realistic depiction of the crimes that came forth due
to the mind-numbing drug action. In the book Sonny’s narrative is extremely important in
assessing the extent of problems and miseries that are part of drugs. Sonny’s miserable life is
not aloof from the rest but is closely associated and a reflection of the thousands of people
born during that period. The book explains the root cause behind the compelling addictions, it
provided the people with extensive coping mechanism to deal with their economic problems,
oppression that were a part of Harlem Renaissance.
Point 2, Paragraph 3: Sonny’s Blue shows how drugs helped the generation to adequately
portray themselves, the darkness and pessimism which were penetrated in the lives of people,
generation after generation. The book is truly an art in expressing how everybody is unified
in suffering, creating compassion for each other in their way of leading a life. In the book,
drug addiction is not given a very callous description but rather a poetically sad picture, the
only redemption from the immense amount of darkness. Drug which produces something as
beautiful as music in Sonny, elevates him to a pedestal higher, like the bright light with which
Sonny is drenched every time he starts playing music. The characters and imageries are
adequately represented in order to give voice to the fury that was a repressed part of the

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generation. The frequent usage of drugs moreover accentuated in them the very limited
opportunities and scope that the African American Negro were born with. The book opens
many new avenues of discussion along with the striking and evocative description of drug
usage and its effect on the characters. Drug addiction made them more aloof from the
mainstream society which all the more highlighted their fury and frustration.
Point 3, Paragraph 1:The issues of mental health problems and drug usage is interwoven
with episodes of pain and suffering with which the readers relate to due to the fine usage of
language that the author makes use of. The imageries of dark and shady alley gives voice to
the mental health and addiction problems that made their access to every sphere of
individual’s life, personal relationship or cognitive skills. The adverse effect of drugs is made
apparent to the readers by the character Sonny who sees its profound impact on other people
altering their appearances and physical health.
Point 3, Paragraph 2: The concept of personal hell is in itself sufficient of forming the
readers’ understanding of the precarious effects of drug overdose. The impact of drug
overdose and mental degeneration is clearly evident in Sonny who seriously damages his
health having taken fatal amount of drugs.
Point 3, Paragraph 3: The final alienation and lack of a shelter to lean on is indicative of the
effects of prolonged drug consumption. The addiction shows how relationships can break
apart, how mental imbalance can disrupt each and every aspect of a person’s life imprisoning
the individual in his/her hell and suffering.
Conclusion: In conclusion it can be inferred that the book describes how each and every
aspect of life takes a tacit overturn as individual loses his/her final grip on life. The author
forms readers’ understanding through the usage of poignant imageries, character portrayal
and language. Finally the book makes the lasting impression by unifying Sonny with his

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brother. What makes the book so artistically beautiful is that it takes into its view a
kaleidoscopic view of the impacts of drug which might not just be always negative but
positive as well. The book provides the readers with a roller coaster ride of the lives of
characters prevalently influenced by the consumption of drugs.

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Bibliography List:
Gioia, Dana. “Sonny's Blues.” Untitled Document, 2001,
wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/1477/1512649/essays/jbgioia.html.
Norton, Sandy Morey. "'To Keep from Shaking to Pieces': Addiction and Bearing Reality in
'Sonny's Blues.'." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Thomas J. Schoenberg and
Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 229, Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center,
http://link.galegroup.com.libaccess.senecacollege.ca/apps/doc/H1420096909/LitRC?
u=king56371&sid=LitRC&xid=ff2e1754. Accessed 4 Apr. 2018. Originally published in The
Languages of Addiction, edited by Jane Lilienfeld and Jeffrey Oxford, St. Martin's Press,
1999, pp. 175-192.
Tackach, James. "The biblical foundation of James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues'." Renascence:
Essays on Values in Literature, vol. 59, no. 2, 2007, p. 109+. Literature Resource Center,
http://link.galegroup.com.libaccess.senecacollege.ca/apps/doc/A161502025/LitRC?
u=king56371&sid=LitRC&xid=95bb928d. Accessed 4 Apr. 2018.