Music becomes the symbol that changes the brothers. To emphasize the importance of the power of music, Baldwin's narrator cannot grasp what Sonny is speaking about until he sees him play. It is only when he experiences the sound does he finally "get it." Music bridges the chasm that has existed between these brothers for so long and it literally saves their relationship from further darkness and turmoil. Sonny's blues are the very thing that save his life and, whether he realizes it or not, he is one of the lucky ones in that he found a way to escape - if only for a little while. Works Cited

Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction R.V. Cassill, ed W.W. Norton and Company. New York: 1981. pp. 22-48.

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"Literary Contexts in Short Stories: James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues.'" 2006. EBSCO Resource Database. Information Retrieved October 19, 2008. http://search.epnet.com
Murray, Donald. "James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues:' Complicated and Simple." Studies in Short Fiction. EBSCO Resource Database. Information Retrieved October 19, 2008. http://search.epnet.com

Reilly, John. "Sonny's Blues': James Baldwin's Image of Black Community." Negro American Literature Forum. 1970. JSTOR Resource Database. Information Retrieved October 19, 2008. http://www.jstor.org

Tackach, James. The Biblical Foundation of James Baldwin's 'Sonny's Blues." Renascence. EBSCO Resource Database. Information Retrieved October 19, 2008. http://search.epnet.com