James Baldwin uses jazz to explore themes of identity, community, and the power of artistic expression. Such a scene that involves all of these topics is when the narrator enters the jazz club and watches his brother play among the stage. “Sonny’s fingers filled the air with life, his life..” it allows us to understand music is Sonny’s way of communicating his inner feelings–the struggles, the isolation–his identity is unraveled as he plays music. It also ties into artistic expression; Sonny’s ways of communicating is through the art of music. Another example is when Baldwin writes, “The room was filled with the sound,” and the audience listening to Sonny becomes enlightened, creating a moment of healing or understanding, this builds community, showing us how his art of music can bring people together.

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