In “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin uses jazz music to explore identity, community, and the power of artistic expression. Jazz is more than just a genre to Sonny,it is a way to define and express himself in a world that seeks to confine him. For Sonny, jazz is an escape from the rigid expectations placed on him by his brother, the narrator, and by society itself. His brother, cautious and concerned, initially dismisses Sonny’s passion for jazz as reckless and dangerous. Yet for Sonny, music is the only way he can communicate the pain and complexity of his life as a Black man, giving him an identity beyond society’s limitations. Jazz…

In “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin uses jazz music to explore themes of identity, community, and the power of art. For Sonny, jazz is more than music; it’s a way to define himself in a world that tries to limit him. His brother initially dismisses Sonny’s passion for jazz, but Sonny insists it’s the only way he can express the pain and complexity of his life as a Black man and an artist. Jazz also connects Sonny to others. In the jazz club scene, his brother finally understands this, seeing how Sonny’s music brings people together. Through the music, he finally empathizes with Sonny’s struggles, realizing that jazz is a way…