Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin tells the story of the narrator and his brother and the trials they must endure. As Kahlil Gibran says: “From suffering are born the strangest souls, the most massive characters are marked with scars. » (Gibran). In this same quote the true light is shown as it informs the reader that with suffering comes growth and that once the person, whoever they are, emerges from the darkness, they may have scars but it made her stronger. The theme of light and darkness as well as suffering play an essential role in this story. For both men, there are times when they have the blues and suffer in the darkness of their lives, but the music takes them away from the suffering. First, the very grief that the characters in this story face is that of racial discrimination, a form of darkness. It is noted in the very first paragraph: “I looked at him in the swinging lights of the subway car, in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness that roared outside. » (58) The setting of this story takes place in Harlem, New York. The city of Harlem is notoriously known for its downtown, its poverty-stricken population and especially as a place to find African Americans. “These boys lived now as we lived, and then they grew up hastily and their heads dashed sharply against the low ceiling of their real possibilities.” (59). The story of Sonny's Blues was written in the 1950s, in which segregation was clearly still active and African Americans were being lynched for the darkness of their complexions. In the 1950s, an African American's chances of success, especially if he or she came from the ghetto, were extremely low. In the time frame that presents itself...... middle of paper...... light in all this darkness. Scotch is a dark liquid and milk is a clear liquid. “Freedom surrounded us and I finally understood that he could help us to be free if we listened to him. » It is at this moment that the narrator finally understands the pain of his brothers and sees it in a different light. The narrator sees this in the sense of sound, particularly through music, which is ultimately how they were both liberated. Works Cited Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia.12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013.58-78.Print.Gibran, Kahlil. “Khalil Gibran Quotes” Goodreads. np, sdFebruary 9, 2014Tackach, James. “The Biblical Basis of James Baldwin's “Sonny's Blues” Renascence59.2 (2007) 109-118. Literary reference center Plus.web.February 16 2014