Introduction

For one to understand a story, he or she must have the capacity to conduct a basic analysis of its technical aspects. It is especially the case for a story like “Sonny’s Blues.” The narrative is a story of discovery told through the eyes of an interested observer. The author plumbs the depths of humanity to weave a tale of two brothers who could not have been more different. The paper shall focus on the plot which forces the reader to make an emotional investment and highlights the narration which is clear and emotional at the same time. It shall also explain how the author’s point of view affects the story itself. The unique narration and use of another party’s point of view allow the reader to participate in Sonny’s development actively.

Narration

What one immediately notices is that the narration is by no means passive. The narrator is an active part of the protagonist’s life from the beginning to the end. The insertion of the narrator into the main character’s active life makes sure that the reader is intimately engaged in every important detail. It allows the narrator to give a first-hand account of the protagonist’s past and present life thus creating a deeper understanding of the outstanding theme. The audience is better able to understand the characters since the narration is active and engaging.

The narrator also moves the story along since he is part of the narrative itself. A narrative should move at a brisk pace without papering over specific issues. Therefore, authors often have to strike a balance between pace and coherence. In this case, the narration does sacrifice pace in some instances. However, the narrator’s struggles more than filling the gap. The audience can invest its feelings in the narrator’s life when it takes a break from the protagonist’s struggles. The brother even actively comments about the story when he says, “For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, and it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness.” The narration makes it possible for the narrator to remain actively involved in the story without overshadowing the protagonist.

Plot

The plot is classic in many ways, but it still manages to surprise the audience from time to time. For example, the author decides to use a broken timeline to move the plot along. A typical timeline would have events occurring in a natural chronological order. Instead, the plot is dominated by a flashback and hints of a past life. Almost everything the two brothers do in the present has a hint of the past and they have to deal with it. Sonny’s painful past can be felt when he looks outside after his release from prison and says, “All that hatred and misery and love. It’s a wonder it doesn’t blow the avenue apart.” His past cannot allow him to see beauty. The plot connects the audience to the protagonist in the present and then goes back to explain how he arrived at that point.

The plot is also quite simple since it focuses on regular human interactions. For instance, it features two brothers who have much in common even as they identify and fight over their difference. Almost every person in the world knows siblings who are as different as day and night. The plot also works up towards redemption without being obvious. The author builds enough suspense into the story to make the audience wonder whether Sonny will redeem himself or not. The combination of simplicity and understated suspense makes the plot interesting and lively.

Point of View

A significant advantage of using the brother’s point of view is that it creates some distance between the audience and the protagonist. It is normal for one to be rooting for the main character to succeed. When one uses that character’s point of view, it narrows the story and some context might be lost. The use of the brother allows the audience to draw away from the protagonist and take a wide view of the situation. The audience can feel the brother’s pain when he says, “Yet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother I’d never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light.” It makes it possible for the reader to appreciate the context in which both brothers are operating and hence understand the story better.

Additionally, the point of view allows the reader to introduce other characters without the bias which would occur if they were introduced by the main character. The audience gets to see Sonny’s mother as a caring individual who worries about her children. More importantly, it shows the audience the image of a father who was far more complex than Sonny appreciated. Sonny’s point of view would have been highly subjective and denied the audience an objective understanding of the auxiliary characters. The author made the right decision when he went ahead and used the brother’s point of view.

Conclusion

Every element in a fictional tale should contribute towards the development of the narrative and movement of the plot. In this case, the plot itself supports the story by featuring simple and relatable human interactions. Additionally, the narration gives the readers a blow by blow account without creating too much distance between them and the story since the narrator is an active participant. Finally, the author’s decision to use the brother’s point of view imbues the story with a sense of objectivity and allows the audience to appreciate the overall context of the story. All of the elements work to make “Sonny’s Blues” an excellent story.

 
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