Sonny's Blues

he unnamed narrator, Sonny's brother, represents one of the "two sides of the African-American experience" ("Sonny's Blues" 16). An algebra schoolteacher and dedicated husband and father, the narrator attempts to integrate himself into white society by becoming "respectable" (Ognibene 16). As a result he is disconnected from his heritage and culture. He has distanced himself from the elements of the African American experience that are dark or unsettling.

He refuses to understand the struggles of his younger brother, Sonny, whose life has been twisted by heroin abuse and a prison sentence. The narrator has an emotional epiphany when he finally listens to Sonny play music. He perceives his connection to his family, to the African American race, and even to humanity at large. Embracing this truth temporarily relieves his suffering and allows him to understand Sonny's suffering.