James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” and Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible”
In the society, the family unit has formed the integral part to the development of every individual. Normally, the parental figure plays the significant influence in the course of maturity of the respective child, but the interaction of siblings is as exceptional. In the society, the rivalry of siblings or relative alliance outlines the specified connections as the respective person curves the significant path into the societal peer groups. The articulation of siblings influence is understandable through the procedural examination of the short stories “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin and “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich respectively. The stories accounts for the brotherly experience as indicating through the aspect of drug abuse and separation (Recker p. 15).
Bothe the short stories revolve around the connection with a brotherly relation. In the short story, “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich, the narrator Lyman makes use of the red convertible that he shares with his brother as the significant analogy to their respective relationship. In the process of reminiscing about the brother, Lyman considers the relevancy in visiting places with the car while though some people in the society spend much of their respective time in trips remembering details specified while they just lived their lives (Beidleret al, p. 57).
This reflects on their time that they spend in the red convertible as intended for the worthwhile company of unity. This is opposing to the aspect of making meaningless organized road trips simply for the minor story time. The red convertible is a representation of the real destination following the aspect of transformation. The bond created by the car between the two brothers also reflects on the bond of the “Sonny’s Blues” narrator with his brother. Getting rid of the car after Henry is gone does not dry the pain resulting to post-traumatic stress to prove of just how the bond was so strong (Recker p. 15).
The incident of Sonny going to jail involves communication of the two siblings on a regular basis than ever before with none of the friends keeping in touch. This proves of the bond created in connection to a sibling as stronger than the friends do. In the story, the narrator had the feeling of loosing Sonny as he progressed with wrong vices, but the narrator had his brother’s back even through the conflict that he had against Sonny. Most of the time in Sonny’s life, the majority of his friends would not keep him company through the dark times, but the narrator never escaped the obligation as a sibling. This proves of just how the sibling relationship is stronger as compared to the “Red’s Convertible” with the narrator as a remarkably young hard worker with a relative gift of knowing how to make his own money (Beidleret al, p. 57).
Compared to Lyman in the short story, “The Red Convertible,” the narrator in the short story “Sonny’s Blues” also shares a significant connection with the respective brother, although without an intense aspect. The story presents an outlook of a family undergoing socioeconomic struggles and drug addiction in the community of the blacks with the jazz music language. The narrator and Sonny the brother maintains a relationship that is forced with the speaker having the duty to cater and care for his younger brother. According to the short story, it is convincing that a meaningful relationship was not in shape until the death of their mother (Beidleret al, p. 57).
The vital element that bonds the link is the significant sibling obligation. The narrator is in recognition of the relationship to the younger brother. He is left wondering if the seven years of age difference ever enable the existence of a bridge. The narrator contributes to the revelation that there is no profound appreciation for the existence of his younger brother upholding the position of the family lineage. The narrator is left with no choice but to consider caring for Sonny unconditionally (Beidleret al, p. 57).
Though the narrator and Lyman in the second short story considered withholding an intense bond to the respective brothers, the baggage in excess aiding to the degeneration of the specified brothers has no expectations. In each of the respective stories, separation resulting from war serves as the aspect of disintegration triggering the element of transformation of the individual brothers and part of the family as a unit. Throughout the story, the narrator makes an effort of sharing the experience during childhood with the family secrets included and the respective events that contributed to shaping of the adult lives (Beidler p. 407).
The readers finally conclude upon learning that Sonny is the jazz musician that is misunderstood having walked the rough road with an effort to survive in the end. Through the narration of the family story by Sonny’s brother, the struggle of Sonny is reflective with a corresponding transformation. The transformation sees Sonny recover from drug addiction to proving of change in the story with reality that Sonny never changes. The narrator comes to understand and respect the man he has become with an effort to become another. The two stories prove of the fact that siblings will always be there despite the given circumstances (Beidler p. 407).
Works cited
Beidler, Peter G, and Gay Barton. A Reader’s Guide to the Novels of Louise Erdrich. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2006. Print.
Madden, Frank. Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing About Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print.
Recker, Christine. Varieties of Literary Interpretations of Jazz in American Writings of the 1950s and 1960s. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2008. Internet resource.
