Suffering of Sonny and his Brother
... The older brother, a straight-laced Harlem algebra teacher is the narrator who represents and tells the reader about younger brother; Sonny. Sonny is a jazz pianist who when the story opens, has just been arrested for peddling and using heroin. ... The point of view in “Sonny’s Blues” is first person narration by the brother of the main character. The readers are introduced to Sonny through the eyes of the narrator; Sonny’s brother. We can get a real sense of Sonny’s personality through the feelings of his brother. ... However, Sonny has never tried to place himself into the white society. Sonny has found an outlet for the deep pain and suffering that his status as permanent outsider and channels his suffering into music. We get to know Sonny and his feelings towards acceptance through his brother’s description of his attitude and music.