What is the central conflict in Sonny's blues?

Answer 1

Some themes in Sonny's Blues:

Brotherly love

Familial relationships

The meaning of success

Music as a means of communication

The search for identity

Significance of community identification

The struggle with racism

The isolation of being misunderstood

Answer 2

There are three main metaphors used in "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin. 1. Jazz Music represents passion and escape for the title character and the only thing that makes his life worthwhile. 2. Ice is a metaphor for fear and its presence creates an impending sense of dread throughout the book. 3. Light is used as a metaphor for illumination and unveiling that which would otherwise remain hidden in the subconscious.

Answer 3

There are two major characters in "Sonny's Blues," Sonny and Sonny's older brother. Each of these characters has an independent conflict and together they share another conflict. Sonny's conflict has multiple parts: heroin addiction; the "vivid, killing streets;" his choice for jazz and Blues Music over classical, which translates to a choice for poverty and limits to opportunity and freedom and a rejection of an established place in society with at least some economic opportunity, such as his brother attained.

His brother's conflict is what to do to help Sonny. He feels estranged by the seven year age difference that separates him from Sonny. He feels like Sonny's choice of jazz and blues was a mistake and "beneath" him. He feels he failed his mother because she required a promise that as the older brother he would always take care of Sonny...trouble is, he has never known how to help Sonny.

Their shared conflict is how to extricate themselves from the suffering of their racially impeded lives. Sonny has fallen deeper and deeper into suffering. His brother has extricated himself from the suffering in large part--though not entirely--and each still wears the shackles of the suffering from their childhood and youth.

Answer 4

the main theme is to be bold brass confident and showemotion

Answer 5

The central conflict in Sonny's Blues is that Sonny wants to be a piano player, but the narrator doesn't agree. The narrator thinks playing jazz piano is a waste of time.

Answer 6

this is hip hop jazz and many other things like hill billy

Answer 7

Suffering, family realtionships