Sonny’s Blues

The title of this short story has a double meaning. “Sonny’s Blues” obviously refers to Sonny’s main passion – playing jazz, playing the blues. But the title also refers to Sonny’s discontent, his angst, and his reason for doing heroin, much of which stems from being brought up in the gritty hopelessness of Harlem.

Jazz

Music, particularly jazz, runs through “Sonny’s Blues,” initially in the background, as part of the general setting, and eventually as a central theme, when Sonny announces his plan to become a jazz musician.

Music even punctuates the generation gap between the narrator and Sonny. The narrator asks if Sonny wants to play like Louis Armstrong, and Sonny replies, “No, I’m not talking about none of that old-time, down home crap” (p. 12). Sonny wants to play like Charlie Parker, known as Bird, who plays a new, more improvisational...