Rich Brother vs. Sonny\'s Blues

¶ … Rich Brother" vs. "Sonny's Blues"

Tobias Wolff's "Rich Brother" and James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" both deal with themes regarding brotherly love and the cold yet powerful relationship between two brothers. The characters of Donald and Sonny are very much alike when taking into account their idealistic attitude toward life and the fact that they have a tendency to disregard material values with the purpose of struggling to concentrate on their personal identity. One of the most significant similarities between the two short stories is the fact that both older brothers come to understand the important role their brothers play in their lives.

The narrator in "Sonny's Blues" and Pete are both provided with the mission to care for their brothers in spite of the fact that it is very difficult for them to do so. Sonny and Donald have trouble adapting to society's rules and seem confused with regard to the attitudes they need to employ in order to have success. While the narrator and Pete are both inclined to believe that financial gain and social status are among the most important concepts an individual could consider, their brothers think otherwise and are unhesitant about getting involved in activities that apparently provide them with very little benefits.

Some might be inclined to believe that the narrator is, to a certain degree, closer to Sonny than Pete is to Donald. "When he started to walk, he walked from our mother straight to me" (Baldwin). The narrator remembers this as if he were interested in providing readers with the feeling that he always knew that there was something special about his relationship with Sonny.

Even with the fact that they certainly care for their brothers, it is difficult and almost impossible for the narrator and Pete not to think about the question "Should I be the one to care for my adult brother?." This is a moment when many readers are likely to create parallels between the biblical story involving Cain and Abel. Consequent to murdering his brother Cain asks if it is actually his task to care for his brother, apparently being frustrated with such a concept. Donald and Sonny appear to be more interested in the spiritual aspect of the world than they are in material values. This makes it difficult for their brothers to support them, as they cannot possibly conceive how a person in the contemporary society could fail to understand the importance of material values. The narrator and Pete are both presented with a serious dilemma, but in spite of the fact that they are reluctant to spend their time and resources helping their brothers, they do not hesitate to do so and for a while it appears that not even themselves are capable to explain their attitudes. The narrator actually emphasizes that "it doesn't do any good to fight with Sonny" (Baldwin) in an attempt to have readers understand that he doesn't think of fighting as an effective tool to resolve problems.

It is likely that Baldwin and Wolff wanted their readers to be provided with the feeling that it would be wrong to criticize the narrator and Pete as a result of helping their brothers despite the fact that they risk by doing so. The narrator is himself scared of his role as an older brother: "I sensed myself in the presence of something I didn't really know how to handle, didn't understand" (Baldwin). The two writers basically wanted to put across the impression that providing a person with help is also likely to reflect positively in the individual who provides the assistance. This is practically a circle of humanity as both the helper and the person being helped benefit the same from their relationship.

The narrator and Pete hesitate about supporting their brothers when they discover that Sonny and Donald are immature and that they are reluctant to express any interest in wanting to put across socially acceptable behavior. The fact that they hold a respectable position in the social order also contributes to them feeling threatened by their relationship with their brothers, as they consider that it would be probable for Sonny and Donald to do things that would directly harm their reputation and that would thus make it difficult for them to hold the place that they worked so hard for.

It is intriguing to observe how the narrator and Pete focus on detaching themselves from their brothers and from their past. The fact that they've reached a position that makes them distinguished from most individuals makes it possible for them to develop a sense of protectiveness. They have struggled to get where they currently are and they are unwilling to allow their brothers to affect their well-being.

Although some might be inclined to believe that Pete is less enthusiastic about helping his brother when comparing this character with the narrator in "Sonny's Blues," the reality is that Pete also feels responsible for his brother. Although he feels that Donald should be more careful about the activities he is involved in, he cannot possibly stand and watch his brother suffering. Pete's subconscious mind apparently acknowledges the important role Donald plays in his life and actually sends mixed messages concerning their relationship. The fact that Pete dreams about being blind and his brother helping him makes it possible for readers to understand that underneath the successful businessman appearance lies a vulnerable individual that puts all his hope in his brother, as the subconscious mind is well-acquainted with Donald's thinking and knows that Pete can count on him whenever he is in a complicated situation. By saying that "children always do such things" (Wolff) when being reminded that he could have killed Donald when they were little, Pete apparently wants to put across the feeling that it would be impossible for him to ever hurt his brother as an adult.

Their backgrounds have had an important effect on both the narrator and Pete. They consider that their parents' attitudes were particularly important and that they need to do everything in their power in order to live decent lives. Although they realize that their brothers are likely to be unable to adapt to society's requirements, they are nonetheless concerned about their safety and they express particular interest in providing them with resources to satisfy their basic needs. The narrator and Pete have been strongly influenced by their parents to take on honorable jobs. They feel that with their parents gone they have become the heads of their families and that it is thus important for them to look after their brothers, even with the fact that this means going through a lot of stress.

Pete constantly attempts to behave as if he were not really interested in his brother's well-being as long as Donald himself did not care. However, he realizes that he can never abandon his brother consequent to the moment when he kicks him out of the car. "And in this way, smiling, nodding to the music, he went another mile or so and pretended that he was not already slowing down, that he was not going to turn back, that he would be able to drive on like this alone, and have the right answer when his wife stood before him in the doorway of his home and asked, Where is he? Where is your brother?"(Wolff).