History Literature / SonnysBlues

* AdultFear: Your child dies from illness at a tender age and you're helpless to do anything about it (as happened to Grace, which Isabel still has nightmares about). Also, you or someone you know falls victim to a hit-and-run (as happened to the boys' uncle when he and their father were young men).

* NotSoDifferent: The narrator claims this as the reason Sonny never got along with their father--for one thing, both of them had a deep sense of privacy, despite Sonny being quiet and the father being rough and loud.

* InfantImmortality: [[SubvertedTrope Unfortunately]], [[TearJerker no]]. The narrator's daughter Grace died of polio when she was just over two years old.

''Sonny's Blues'' is a short story written in 1957 by African-American novelist and playwright Creator/JamesBaldwin.

!!Examples of tropes in ''Sonny's Blues'':

''Sonny's Blues'' is a short story written in 1957 by African-American novelist and playwright James Baldwin.

* BadDreams: The narrator mentions that Isabel has recurring nightmares about their deceased daughter Grace.

Set in Harlem, the story tells of its unnamed narrator's efforts to reconnect with his younger brother, Sonny, after the latter has been arrested for peddling and using heroin. In the midst of this reunion, the older brother also reflects on the series of events that led to Sonny's addiction, including the complicated relationship with their parents and friction with the narrator's wife's parents. He also reflects on Sonny's love of music, particular jazz, and how it may or may not have contributed to Sonny's downward spiral into drugs and crime.

--> Listen, Creole seemed to be saying, listen. Now these are ''Sonny's blues''.

* FantasticRacism: The boys' father held a life-long hatred for white people. [[FreudianExcuse He had a rather sad reason for it too]]: his brother, the boys' uncle, was run over by a drunk white driver when the two were younger.

* [[DeadLittleSister Dead Little Brother]]: The boys' father's brother, in the past.

* NotSoDifferent: The narrator claims this as the reason Sonny never got along with their father--for one thing, both of them had a deep sense of privacy, despite Sonny being quite and the father being rough and loud.

Set in Harlem, the story tells of its unnamed narrator's efforts to reconnect with his younger brother, Sonny, after the latter has been arrested for peddling and using heroin. In the midst of this reunion, the older brother also reflects on the series of events that led to Sonny's addiction, including the complicated relationship with their parents and friction with the narrator's wife's parents. He also reflects on Sonny's love of music, particular jazz and blues, and how it may or may not have contributed to Sonny's downward spiral into drugs and crime.

--> I watched her face as she laughingly responded to something someone said to her, still keeping time to the music. When she smiled one saw the little girl, one sensed the doomed, still-struggling woman beneath the battered face of the semi-whore.

Set in Harlem, the story tells of its unnamed narrator's efforts to reconnect with his younger brother, Sonny, after the latter has been arrested for peddling and using heroin. In the midst of this reunion, the older brother also reflects on the series of events that led to Sonny's addiction, including the complicated relationship with their parents and friction with the narrator's girlfriend's parents. He also reflects on Sonny's love of music, particular jazz and blues, and how it may or may not have contributed to Sonny's downward spiral into drugs and crime.

* InfantImmortality: [[SubvertedTrope Unfortunately]], [[TearJerker no]]. The narrator's daughter Grace died suddenly when she was just over two years old.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: The narrator presents a rather cynical view of Harlem and of life in general, while at the same time he makes a passing mention of Sonny being very optimistic when he was younger.

* TheDrugDealer: At the time the story opens, the narrator has just read a newspaper story outlining how Sonny got busted by the police for dealing in, and using, heroin.