ENG 102Study Questions “Sonny’s Blues”

Study Questions: “Sonny’s Blues” 1. Who is the main character (protagonist) in “Sonny’s Blues,” Sonny or the narrator? Are they equally important? In what way would the story be differen t if Sonny was the narrator? 2. What does the addict mean when he says: “If I was smart, I’d have reached for a pistol a long time ago?” How does this help characterize him? 3. How do events in the past, presented as flashbacks or as the narrator’s recollections, help to develop the plot in “Sonny’s Blues”? 4. What is the reason the narrator’s mother tells him the story of his uncle’s death? 5. Toward the end of the story, as he is trying to explain his addiction to heroin and his passion for music, Sonny tells the narrator that everyone tries to find a way not to suffer, even the narrator himself. What are the narrator’s ways of coping with his pain and suffering? 6. How does Sonny’s Statement that he’s glad his parents are dead, so they would not be alive to witness his addiction make you feel about him? 7. What external conflict(s) is (or are) depicted in the story? What internal conflicts(s)? How are they resolved? 8. In what ways do Sonny and his brother change by the end of the story? What do you identify as the reason for their changes and where do we see the greatest change? 9. “Sonny’s Blues” is populated by images of darkness and light. Trace a series of these images and pay attention to two the narrator uses them to create a particular atmosphere and to help tell his story. 10. What doest he ICE in the narrator’s stomach symbolize? 11. Why does the narrator “see the dead” at the end of the story when Sonny is playing. 12. What do you think is the main reason the narrator buys Sonny a drink at the end of the story?