“Sonny's Blues” is a story in which James Baldwin, the author, presents an existential world in which suffering characterizes the fundamental state of man. The theme of tragedy and suffering can be transformed into a common art form such as blues music. Blues music serves as a catalyst for change because the narrator begins to understand not only the music but also himself and his relationship with Sonny. The narrator's view of his brother begins to change; he understands that Sonny uses music as a way out of his suffering and pain. This story illustrates extensive critical examination. Richard N. Albert is a critic who explores and analyzes the world of “Sonny's Blues”. His analysis, “The Jazz-Blues Motif in James Baldwin's “Sonny's Blues,” is an example of how one can discover plot, characterization, and the jazz motif that constructs this theme of suffering. Most good stories begin with a fundamental list of ingredients that make the plot: the initial situation, the conflict, the complication, the climax, the suspense, the epilogue and the conclusion. Great writers sometimes twist the recipe and add a little spice. At the beginning of the story, the narrator reads in the newspaper about Sonny's arrest for using and selling heroin. This causes the narrator to reflect on his and Sonny's past. He does not understand why Sonny takes drugs and feels helpless we see the narrator's suffering and pain and he does not know how to help him. Baldwin writes: “A large block of ice settled in my belly and continued to slowly melt throughout the day, while I taught algebra in my classes. lessons. It was a special kind of ice. . . . Sometimes it would harden and seem to expand until I felt like my insides were about to spill out or that I… middle of paper… themes of individualism and alienation. The main value of living with music lies in its power to give us orientation in time. In doing so, it connotes all those indefinable aspects of experience that nevertheless help us realize what we are. Works Cited • http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/marie.dybala/engl-1302/research-paper- assignations-e-documenti/baldwin-articles-on-sonnys-blues/Sherard%20Sonnys%20Bebop.pdfhttp ://cai.ucdavis.edu/uccp/sblecture.html#bebop• http://wps.ablongman.com/ wps/media/objects/1321/1353476/essays/jbgioia.htmlhttp://cai.ucdavis.edu /uccp/sonnylinks.html• http://introduction-to-literature.wikispaces.com/Baldwin+and+Sonny's+ Blues• http://davinci.choate.edu/~dloeb/webpages/SummerSchool/sonny'sblues.htm • http://www.marinaskendzic.com/essaycriticalpieces/baldwinssonnysblues.html • http://www.jstor.org /pss/2901246