In the final scene of "Sonny's Blues," as he watches his brother perform, the narrator seems to go through some sort of transformation. What is this transformation? What moments and/or quotes from the story's final scene best illustrate this transformation for you? Why?
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The narrator is Sonny's brother. Sonny preformed with Creole and someone else played in a bar that was located somewhere in downtown Manhattan. When Sonny confides in his brother with his dream. Sonny wanted to be a musician. A jazz pianist. At the end of the story Sonny is about to preform, but, many in the bar are discovered to have come to see Sonny. Creole strikes the fiddle and the band begins to play free form jazz.
At the end the narrator seems to appreciate the music. This is the first time he has heard Sonny first hand on the piano. His wife, kids, and his wife's parents all dealt with it when Sonny played each day. Now the brother is really appreciating the work. Then when they began to play the blues, all of the people changed their psyche.
When Sonny began to play, the brother describes the piano's sound as Sonny's life. How things that they both experienced showed and how the sadness he experienced alone showed. He then realized what he had to do. Earlier in the story the narrator was asking Sonny about his future.
At the end of the conversation Sonny said,"I hear you. But you never hear anything I say." (P. 1533). Then this relates to the narrator's realization at the end. He discovers that Sonny will be free and can allow others to be free. By listening the narrator has transformed in really appreciating Sonny's life and realizing the problems he went through.
At the end of "Sonny's Blues," the transformation of the narrator is one that expands his point of view. Before, he seems to be against Sonny's wish to be a musician, and thinks that things will never work out. Hearing Sonny play makes the narrator transform into a kinder and more open human. As he hears Sonny's ownership of the blues, he talks about how he see's his mother, and all of Sonny's past. The narrator's transformation is a realization that Sonny's dreams were valid, and this is what he should do, because he owns it.
"Then he began to make it his. It was very beautiful because it wasn't hurried and it was no longer a lament. I seem to hear with what burning he had made it his, with what burning we had yet to make it ours, how we could cease lamenting. Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we could listen, that he would never be free until we did."
This quote also shows the transformation of the narrator settling himself into Sonny's shoes. Not only does he take in a love of music, like Ian said, but also takes in the love of freedom that his brother has and expresses in the begining of the story. He see's that freedom is a necesity, and that Sonny experiences his own version of freedom through music. That is his transformation
In the final scene of Sonny's Blues, Sonny's brother (the narrator) and the whole tone of the story make a drastic change. The whole story had been a little depressing. Sonny's brother was sad about Sonny and how Sonny's life had been and how Sonny's future was going to be. The narrator was sad about the situation his family and everyone around him lived in. He was sad about his mother and father and their lives. He was sad about his daughter dying. He was generally depressed about his past, his surroundings, and his future. The change that took place when he saw Sonny play was that suddenly none of his problems seemed to matter anymore. In the back of his mind he is aware "that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, as hungry as a tiger, and that trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky." This quote shows that the narrator acknowledges that all of his problems have definitely not disappeared, but as he watches Sonny play he begins to realize that he should enjoy his life. He should stop worrying about Sonny's past and future because Sonny knows how to control his life and has found something he loves. He should stop worrying about everything going around him and just enjoy the amazing moments in life, like the moment in which he saw Sonny play the piano.
In Sonny's Blues, as the narrator watches and listens to his brother perform, he goes through a transformation of feelings. Because the narrator is Sonny's brother, he feels that it is an obligation to take care of Sonny and make sure he has a successful life. In the beginning, he does not realize that Sonny can have a life by being a musician. Sonny and the narrator were discussing what Sonny wanted to do and Sonny knew that he wanted to be a musician. The narrator doubted his knowledge for musicians and didn't believe in Sonny. "It's time you started thinking about your future." When the narrator decides to be open to Sonny's wish and hears Sonny playing, he really understands and connects with the music. He thought that Sonny's music was beautiful and un-rushed. "It was beautiful because it wasn't hurried and it was no longer a lament." He went from thinking that Sonny could do much better with his life to loving the music he was playing.
"I saw my mother's face again, and felt, for the first time, how the stones of the road she had walked on must have bruised her feet. I saw the moonlit road where my father's brother died. And it brought something else back to me, and carried me past it, I saw my little girl again and felt Isabel's tears again, and I felt my own tears begin to rise. And I was yet aware that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, as a hungry tiger, and that trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky."
This quote also shows how much he could get out of the performance. The music got to him in a sentimental yet strong way. From this he could see things he couldn't usually see and feel things he couldn't usually feel.
The narrator, Sonny’s brother goes through a transformation that opens his mind to Sonny’s dream of becoming a musician. The narrator doesn’t actually believe that Sonny can pull being a musician off. He doesn’t even consider it. “And Creole let out the reins.” This quote shows that the narrator is paying close attention to the music which he has never done before. He is paying attention to Sonny. He knows that Sonny is doing well. Another moment where the narrator is going through the transformation he says “Now these are Sonny’s blues.” This quote shows that he really appreciates what Sonny is doing.
-Kai
The Narrator's brother Sonny, has gone through so much. When he revealed that he wanted to be a musician, it was very amazing for the narrator. It was amazing because his brother was troubled, from drugs, to jail, to actually having a talent that could make him successful. After he heard his brother played it was amazing for him because he remembers him being a good kid, but after his troubles he was revived once again. He appreciated his brother and knew that t was a true talent that he could have never imagined his brother having.
the narrator seemed to never really appreciate sonny and his music. near the end of the story the narrator becomes more open minded about the music. through listening to sonny he became a new person that truthfully understood sonny's dream and now understood sonny. "Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we could listen, that he would never be free until we did." this quote was a good explaination as to howhe had changed. realizing the truth he understands his brother and the idea of them being free now.
In the beginning of the story the narrator did not understand Sonny's love for music and he never thought that anything good would come from it. When the narrator hears him play he finally understands that music is part of Sonny and that musics comes so easily to him and when he plays it's beautiful. After hearing Sonny play the narrator becomes more open minded and he can more easily understand Sonny's dream and he could understand Sonny now. After listening to Sonny's music the narrator says that it made him feel free. He says for the first time he could really understand freedom. He says that Sonny is the one that could make people feel free and we could make him feel free if we just listened and gave him a chance. "Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did."
Throughout the reading, Sonny’s brother is vexed by Sonny’s inability to accept his position in Harlem and settle down. However against his brother’s wishes Sonny wishes to see the world, and to strive for a life beyond the confines of menial Harlem. Sonny ’s brother despairs at all his brother’s aspirations. They have not only put Sonny in great emotional pain
but have created a heroin addiction. He even goes so far as to describe this longing as a darkness which had blinded him and “filled him with rage.” However, during Sonny’s performance the narrator realized that what Sonny was seeking was hope. Not a darkness that causes people to stray from the “right path.” With this understanding in mind the narrator resolves his inner conflict ( death of family members etc.) and readies himself to face the world.
At the end of Sonny's blues is that he begins to appreciate Sonny's work and his brimming talent as a musician. He begins to see that Sonny's dreams of being a musician were acceptable and even plausible.
"Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we could listen, that he would never be free until we did."
This is the moment that I think the narrator understands why this is Sonny's passion and how wrong he was to deny Sonny support from his own brother.
-pablo
Throughout the whole story, the narrator, Sonny's brother, is blind to the idea of where the extent of pain and suffering will go. He looks through and talks about everything he's done with Sonny or related to him but doesn't understand how much pain he could have been in. He doesn't understand what would have caused Sonny's pain and drug addiction.
Finally, in the last scene, Sonny finally goes to play and illustrate to his brother how he's finally gotten to do what he wants. The narrator hear's the music and how it is being strongly expressed. He interprets the sounds of the instruments as if Creole wasn't playing but was "speaking" to Sonny to let himself express more. When Sonny truly expresses himself through his music and the piano, I think that the narrator realizes the depth of pain Sonny was feeling when he became addicted to drugs or the low point in his life. It made him realize the suffering people do go through and to acknowledge it. As he started to remember moments in his life he suffered, his point of view on them became different. He sympathized with the ways people in his life like his dad had suffered with his brother's death. He no longer stood there to listen about it but started to really understand it as Sonny played his own experience through the piano.
I agree with Louisa on the tone changing by the end of the story. The narrator emits a sense of joy, a drastic change from the usual gloominess that was shown throughout the story. The pick-up began when Creole approached the narrator and Sonny, praising the latter’s musical talents. After the entire band has grouped together and begun to play, the narrator describes in great detail what happens onstage. “Then they all gathered around Sonny and Sonny played. Every now and again one of them seemed to say, amen. Sonny’s fingers filled the air with life, his life.” With care, the narrator describes Sonny’s transformation onstage while also describing his own.
At the end where Sonny performs, he realizes that he is good at playing the piano. After he played the piano, the narrator came to understand that Sonny's dream to become a pianist could become reality because he is really good at it.
"It was very beautiful because it wasnt hurried and it was no longer a lament."
This quote shows that the narrator really started to appreciate Sonny's work on the piano. This shows the transformation that the narrator was going through. From being ungrateful about Sonny's work to loving it and thinking its really good.
for the narator, the change is begining to understand his brother's world. his description is rather vaige, it never realy comes to a point. his description focuses on the music, which is the place Sonny expresses himself. he explains the unheard conversation between the musicians spoken in notes, and in tone. throught the story, he is distent from his brother, they live in sepperate worlds, now the narator has put one foot over the devide. the change, I would imagine, is a closer future realationship whith his brother.
In the final scene of "Sonny's Blues" the Narrator who is Sonny's brother, seems to go through a transformation where is mind become more open to Sonny's dreams of being a musician and realizes it could be a reality. He starts to pay more attention to the music and the detail.
" Sonny's fingers filled the air with life, his life." I really like this quote because it really shows how the narrator is sort of realizing that this is Sonny's cure for everything and he's incredibly good at it.
in the end of the story the narrator changes his feelings about sonny's dream. he doesn't seem to think that being a musician is a viable career. but as soon as he starts to hear sonny playing his heart is won over by the beautiful music. in this moment his perception of his brothers dream changes he realizes that he was wrong in doubting his brothers ability and should have had more faith in him. this also changes the way he sees the world it turned him into a kinder person who looked upon the world more openly. once the music starts he hears in a way he never had beforehe starts to really apreciate it. this is shown by the quote "now these are sonny's blues"
During the story the narrator didn't understand how great Sonny and his music was. Then, in the last scene the narrator transforms into a more open minded person as Emmett said. To me the transformation began to happen when the narrator said, "He hit something in all of them, he hit something in me, myself, and the music tightened and deepened, apprehension began to beat the air." For me, in the quote, when the part when the narrator is saying that something hit the kids but also hit him it seemed like that was when he really began to see how great music and Sonny were. It is like being in fog and then having someone remove the fog from your vision so you can see actuality and reality.
-James
The narrator's brother Sonny is obsessed with music. He loves it to the extent that he wantst to have music as his living in the future. While Sonny holds such high aspirations, his brother is much more down to earth and wants Sonny to be more realistic and to see himself in a more realistic occupation, or at least to consider it. In the part where Creole has Sonny play his own song the narrator starts to listen and be touched by the music and not continue to in ways lower music. He showed a side that we had not seen yet. He was starting to notice that Sonny could do this, and that he was very good at it. He said it could live forever, and that he saw his mother again, and that he was crying. He realized why Sonny was so hooked to the music and that what his brother has was much more than a passion, but a way of life.
- Brandon Johnson
The change that is gone through is that through the music, Sonny is able to convey his true self and his inner feelings. Actually, there is so much expression through the art that the narrator himself now understands Sonny; why he is the way he is and why he became a junkie, etc. The jive that he describes in the ensemble is like a “chemistry” as they call it. In truth, what he is saying is that the expression that comes through an art is one that cannot be expressed with mere words. Though the mind may not be able to express everything by itself, the mind, along with heart and soul can convey anything.
Earlier Sonny's brother began an argue with Sonny about Sonny wanting to be a musician. He didn't really believe that Sonny could make a living out of playing piano.
he got the letters from Isabelle when he was in the army that Sonny played piano all the time and was really good. She said it was liks living with a sound and not a person. When she then wrote that Soony hadn't been going to school I think the narrator just stopped respecting Sonny as much as he did.
When Sonny then brought his brother to the bar downtown where he played his brother realized how talented Sonny was before he started playing, how people treated him like a king and told his brother how talented Sonny was.
When Sonny then started to play the narrator describes everything in such detail that makes the story come alive. How he suddenly understood how talented Sonny was.
"I seemed to hear with what burning he had made it his, with what burning we had yet to make it ours, how we could cease lamenting." (p. 1541)
"And I was yet aware that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, hungry as a tiger, and that trouble streched above us, longer than the day." (p.1542)
The narrator explains that his attention for Sonny's love for music. In the beginning of the story, he never really understood that Sonny had a passion for music. I feel like it also was an opening that he understood Sonny better. "And I was yet aware that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, hungry as a tiger, and that trouble streched above us, longer than the day." This quote also stood out to me because it is like the feeling when you meet someone, but in this case you've known them for quite a long time, it and learned something new about them.
-Emma ♥
The narrator goes through an incredible transformation. His brother, Sonny, and decieved by the roots of evil and malice and unfortune so much that it is a miracle that someone with such an unfortunate pass could have a succesful future. One quote that I heard from an elder before was, "your past does not equal your future because of the power to make a decision in the present". This story is a fine example for the use of this powerful quote. The narrator starts to realize that his brother has extraordinary talents that can shape Sonny into a succesful young man.
The narrator goes through an incredible transformation. His brother, Sonny, and decieved by the roots of evil and malice and unfortune so much that it is a miracle that someone with such an unfortunate pass could have a succesful future. One quote that I heard from an elder before was, "your past does not equal your future because of the power to make a decision in the present". This story is a fine example for the use of this powerful quote. The narrator starts to realize that his brother has extraordinary talents that can shape Sonny into a succesful young man.
In the story it is Sonny's brother who plays the role of narrator. He seems to transform into an age of understanding. I can tell this because of when he reflects on the story about his father's brother and how he was killed by a group of white men, he specifically connects this to Sonny and how sometimes you don't have to look for trouble to find it. meaning that he understands Sonny's addiction may have been due to trouble finding him. that is the transformation.
In the beginning of the story, the narrorator does not believe in his brother. He does not believe that's he can make a career of music and thought that his life was ruined . The narrorater thought that his brother ruined his life with drug abuse and his brother claimed he wanted to make a living out of kusic which the narrorator thought was not realistic or possible. But when the narrorator watched his brother play, his views and beliefs if his brother changed. He started to believe in his brother's musical abilities and gained hope in his brother. In that moment, he believed in his brother and believes that his life was nit totally ruined because he had a passion for music and he realized that his brother could make a living out of that.
He starts to like Sonny's music and realizes that Sonny has potential to become a great musician.
"Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we could listen, that he would never be free until we did."
This quote says that they are free and expresses how he feels.
,"I hear you. But you never hear anything I say."
This quote shows a sense of freedom for Sonny and how he can make others free. It also expresses how he feels about music and how music expresses the soul
In 'Sonny's Blues' the narrator [sonny's brother] does go through an extremely big change while listening to Sonny play the piano. He realizes that this is what his brother is doing what hiss life. He realizes that everything is ok with Sonny and he has one less person to worry about.He realixes that what Sonny is doing is beautiful, it's amazing, and its something to be celebrated not criticized.
The moment where the narrator talks about how he can only be free if he listens to sonny and sonny can only be free if the narrator listens.What he means by this is that he can release his sorrows for a while, his families situation, his daughter who is dying, and all of his troubles that have been plauging him. sonny can do the same, he feels a sense of freedom knowing tat his family finally knows what he is doing. Sonny feels pride and relife in knowing his family has seen his skills and his trade instead of them being disapointed in him.
The narrator's overall change was from skeptic and depressed to optimistic and openminded.
The narrator is Sonny's brother and watches him perform for the first time since he came back from rehab and they had just established a new relationship. When their mother died and the narrator was in the army but was able to go home for the funeral he had a talk with his brother about the future. He had also promise his mother that he would take care of his brother and be there for him. When the narrator ask Sonny what he wants to do in life Sonny says be a musician. From the start the narrator felt that that wasn't the right job for him. They got into a argument and the narrator said that Sonny would go live with his wife and her parents. And that leads up to many events and they do not talk. Before they go to the place where Sonny while be playing they have a conversation about Sonny and how he fells. I think that conversation changed their relationship because the narrator got to understand what Sonny was feeling and seeing through his eyes. So when Sonny was struggling to play the first song because it was the first time he had played with out putting drugs into his system right before but; when he over comes that and in the second is getting back the rhythm the narrator gets very emotional. I think that because he heard what Sonny had to say and had an understanding and Sonny was playing from the heart. It showed what Sonny was feeling at the moment playing all the struggle he had been through and what he overcame. The narrator notice a different way to express his feelings and saw why Sonny wanted to play so much and he was on the same level as him the finally understood each other. Also just to see someone who had a totally different way to deal with their career change so much I think gave the narrator hope and open his eyes to new ways of dealing with things.
When Sonny was performing it was a very sentimental moment for both him and the narrator. The mood of the story and their relationship changed by the music. It was as if the music relieved both of there pain and bad memories through the performance. The transformation for the narrator went from him being a grudge holder to an open-minded person. he saw the change in his brother through the music. He knew there was hope that one day his brother will move on from his past and find a knew healthier addiction.
"Sonny's fingers filled the air with life, his life" "Freedom lurked around us and i understood, at last, that he could help us to be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did" These quotes show that through his music it touched everyone and freed all the bad memories and the darkness in their lives.
When Sonny's brother sits in the Club in Lower Manhattan, he begins to understand that while Sonny's life is full of drugs, pain and suffering, music eases him, serving as his balm when cruelty chafes at his heart, filling him with warmth where there is only the cold, icy, raw reality. He sees that all the time he has spend worrying about his younger brother, it was he who was crouching in the darkness. He comprehends that while he was living a structured life, creating a good income, and providing for his family, Sonny was having drug issues, yet he was not the one who he needed to worry about. While he was constantly preoccupied by his brother's past, Sonny was bathing in light, content with music and the peace it brought to him.
While Sonny's fingers caress the smooth key's of the piano, his powerful notes resonating in the air, floating into the hearts of the listeners, yet managing to linger hauntingly, he strikes the chord of hope within his brother. Sonny bares his soul to his observers, not only allowing them into his life, feeling the joy and sadness of his own existence, but he strikes their core, and shows them that music was his hope, his light when darkness was threatening to devour him, his buoy when he was about to drown.
While listening, The narrator realizes that his brother has been granted freedom by music, what he once disregarded as a foolish career choice, "You're getting to be a big boy," i said desperately, "it's time you started thinking about your future." (Baldwin 1532 ). The narrator is enlightened at that moment. He understands that one shall always carry the burden of sadness, but it can become much light when one finds a passion to relieve him of his melancholy. He internally thinks of his dead child, Grace, and understands that she will never return, but seeing Sonny happy makes him happy, and joy seizes his heart.
I think in the end of this book the narrator starts understanding Sony and his way of life. Before he was kind pf against Sony's way of life but this concert changed his perspective. it taught the narrator to let Sony do what makes him happy because that's how he wants to live is life and he cannot live his life in any other way.
When the narrator enters the jazz club and hears Sonny play he gains a sense of respect for his brother. He sees that Sonny has a strong community of fellow musicians and friends that consider Sonny royalty because of his skilled piano playing. The narrator realizes that his brothers piano playing is not just another foolish dream like he had originally thought it was.
The narrator also sees how brave his brother is in while listening. His brother hadn't played in a year and for his first time playing again he choose to do it in front of an audience. He sees his brother struggling. He compares his brothers position to one of someone in deep water, but he sees that his brother is in deep water but this doesn't mean he is going to drawn.
The narrator also sees how awful the relationship between an instrument and a musician is. He sees the pressure that a musician must feel. The instrument is nothing without it's musician. He sees that although the pressure is high as a musician, music is how his brother survives.
When Sonny tells the narrator that he wants to be a musician, the narrator doubts that his dream will ever be true.
In the last few pages of the story, the tone of the story changes. The narrator becomes more aware of Sonny's ability. "Sonny's fingers filled the air with life, his life. But that life contained so many others." Sonny is playing music that symbolizes his life. Blues are a quiet, peaceful kind of music. Sonny is a very quiet guy, and likes to keep everything to himself. Playing the blues is opening up to everyone who Sonny is. Before he is playing, there is a depressing mood because of the daughter dying, and the fact that Sonny was in jail. Sonny playing music wraps up the bad moments and brings the good moments out, and also, Sonny finding happiness. This also shows that Sonny finally believed in himself. He pursued his career of playing the piano because it is what he loves, and he did not care what people had to say about it.
In the final scene of “Sonny’s Blues” the narrator undergoes a transformation that includes the realization of who his brother is. In this scene, the narrator is exposed to a whole new world; Sonny’s world. He realizes what music really means to his brother. The narrator, in a sense, is for the first watching his brother live. One quote that really displayed the narrator’s vision of the “birth of Sonny” is when he states “Sonny’s fingers filled the air with life; his life” (1541). The narrator is hearing Sonny’s story before his eyes and ears. But another quote that I thought was extremely significant was “and he was giving it back, as everything must be given back, so that, passing through death, it can live forever” (1542). I feel that through this quote, the narrator is saying that Sonny is finally doing what he wants, giving the world his music, so that it can live forever in memory. So in a way, when Sonny’s music is played, it will stay forever in the mind of the narrator as the soul of his younger brother. But also, it seems as though Sonny mainly plays for himself. He plays as a release from the world, and as a way to express himself, just as any musician would. But maybe Sonny invite the narrator to see him play because he wanted to show his brother what his life is, who he is in the world, and where his place seemed to be. One last quote that I feel really made the narrator realize who Sonny was is “Sonny was part of the family again” this is really showing that the narrator realizes that Sonny belongs to his music, just how the narrator belongs to his own family, and just how everybody fits in somewhere. But also, I feel that this quote is really showing that the narrator feels as though Sonny had gone on a long journey, and he has now returned. Or maybe that his soul, which was once contaminated with the temptation of drugs, is now pure and ready to show the world how his melody of life has made him who he is.
At the end of Sonny’s Blues, Sonny’s brother comes to many realizations. Sonny’s brother finally sees the bittersweet relationship between the musician and the music. He sees that playing music is not just about fun but it is also about passion and Sonny plays so much music that it takes a lot out of him to keep playing. Sonny’s brother first starts to realize this when he sees two women on the street playing and singing. He see’s that they are truly pouring their souls into their music and he see’s Sonny also does.
Also he sees that Sonny needs to realize his own goals and even if it is not Sonny’s brother’s ideal life it is Sonny’s. At the end of the book, while Sonny plays Sonny’s brother realizes that some people value dreams over economic stability and sometime even life. Sonny does not care that his dream may seem a little foolish; he will follow it anyway.
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