I always think it's interesting to have a picture of the author, so you can better understand where she or he is coming from.
James Baldwin captures the reader in suspense from the very beginning of the story, beginning the narrative in medias res. The very first sentence entices the reader, making her want to know what the narrator had read. Baldwin continues to draw out the plot of the story by giving various flash backs and jumping from current to past and past to current, until finally, the reader arrives at the end of the story, and is disappointed. Although I did not particularly enjoy this story, I had to keep reading it because I wanted to know what happened. However, at the end of the story, I'm not exactly sure what happened. I do not fully understand the last scene.
In the last scene, the narrator finally seems to understand his brother, and furthermore himself, as if the music his brother makes sets him free and opens his mind, heart, and soul to a whole life he had never known before. In this scene, the story seemed to be saying "The ends do justify the means. It is okay for Sonny to do drugs. That's just who Sonny is and who Sonny always will be." In the story, the narrator even observes: "...I heard what he had been through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth." (pg 100, 2nd full par.). That whole paragraph, especially from that sentence on, just seems too pessimistic and apathetic. This sense of pessimism is enforced earlier in the story on page 95 in the fourth full paragraph when Sonny says: " 'Like you did something, all right, and now you're suffering for it. You know? ... why do people suffer? Maybe it's better to do something to give it a reason, any reason.' " And then in the ending scene, after reading the second to last paragraph, the whole story felt anticlimactic. There was no saving change, no life decisions, nothing got better. Just more of the same old same old. The narrator even says "...the world waited outside, as hungry as a tiger, and that trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky." (pg 100)
In the story's defense, it is refreshing to read something that is not predictable or easily understood. It is good to challenge readers to look at things in new ways and consider alternatives to the norm they expect. There are many reasons why I may not understand this story as well as I could. First off, I've never personally struggled with drugs. I am biased as loved-one who has attempted to deal with and understand the person struggling with drugs. Secondly, I am not a musician. I do write though, and I feel that it is not at all necessary for me to use drugs to become inspired as is suggested in the story (pg 94). And finally, I am not very religious, and I do not understand the ending reference to the bible, which I feel is supposed to be very meaningful, despite the footnote (pg. 101).
I am sure discussion in class will help me see this story in ways I never imagined, and it will gain new meaning for me.
When you are talking about the very last scene, and how the narrator finally seems to understand I felt the same way. I felt like it changed pace to a little bit, from other parts of the story.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that it is nice to read something that you struggle to understand, makes ya really work for it, and then gives you that sense of accomplishment when possibly you have it all figured out :)
I hear what you're saying but I feel the lack of a clear resolution as well Sonny's drug problem succeeded in making the story more realistic, like in life we can come to appreciate and understand someone or something a little better but not completely. As well, we can have large faults but still be worthy of admiration and respect.
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