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Each of the two main characters seems concerned with the concept of redemption. To seek redemption is to try to make up for something wrong you’ve done, to make things right, to atone for your guilt. Track the redemptive path taken by the main characters. What makes them believe redemption is both needed and/or possible? How will each be redeemed?
Monday, 25 May 2009 - 8:03 PM EDT
Name: "Joe Leland"
After reading the story, it is obvious both the brother and Sonny feel responsible for Sonny's situation. The brother feels he is responsible due to fact he should have taken better care of Sonny, and Sonny feels responsible because its his life and his decisions.
Throughout the story, the brother obviously takes a path of starting to support Sonny and try to help him to a better life, letting Sonny live with him, and in the end of the story, he obviously shows he supports Sonny's desire to follow the musical path.
Sonny's path of redemption is simpler, but is possibly more difficult for him to achieve. Sonny has the desire to go into music, specifically the bebop style, due to his attraction of Bird. Throughout the story we see his obvious desire, and in the end of the story, after failing the first song, he begins to succeed in his second.
The end of the story I believe serves as a metaphor to the entire story. Sonny fails in his first song just as he does in the beginning of the story, and Creole tries to help him along in the song, just as his brother does in the story. Finally, he succeeds in the second song, just as he does in the end of the story. As a final statement, his brother brings him a drink, symbolizing his support for his brother.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 - 12:43 AM EDT
Name: "Chelsea Anderson "
Throughout the story, redemption plays a major part. After not having contact with Sonny for a long time, the narrator’s daughter died. He writes Sonny a letter after he began to wonder about him. I think that he narrator started to wonder about Sonny because he saw how short life can be because of his daughter’s death. He might have felt guilty because they didn’t have a good relationship and he wonders if the seven year age difference between them can be bridged.
Sonny goes to prison in the beginning of the story because of heroin. As a way of redemption and to get his mind of drugs, he tries to become a jazz and blues musician. Sonny explains that to learn anything from suffering that there must be a way to make it your own. For Sonny, I think that heroin and jazz accomplish this. Away to get rid of his addictions was to play jazz music.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 - 12:01 PM EDT
Name: "Meghan Beighley"
When the narrator writes to his brother, after a long time of having no contact with each other, it is like the narrator trying to redeem himself. After his daughter died, he realizes how important it is to cherish the people that are closest to you. He wants Sonny in his life, and he's redeeming himself by showing support and caring for Sonny. He allows Sonny to live with him and his family, thats how he is trying to redeem himself.
Sonny redeems himself with music. He transfers all his wants for drugs into music, jazz and blues music. He learns how to become a jazz musician, he tries on his first song, but then redeems himself in the second song he plays. He redeemed himself into a musician.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 - 1:51 PM EDT
Name: "Rylie Heilman"
Redemption comes through Sonny through music. Music gives Sonny strength and helps him feel free. Sonny uses music to become his redemption in more then one way.
One example of Sonny's Redemption through music is how he starts out with his song being awkward and uneven. Soon enough Sonny's song comes back into a great hit and he is redeemed.
Sonny finds redemption though music symbolically, as well as realistically. The music sets him free and made him happy. The music makes Sonny feel careless because it is all that he cares about. This is why he cares so much about redeeming himself and the song.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 - 9:15 PM EDT
Name: "Blake Davenport"
It took a little while for Sonny's brother to realize why he (Sonny) did drugs and listened to Jazz, but in the end, after his daughter had died, the narrator realized that he was never there for his brother, and neither was his mother, he never told him that if he ever needed anything to come to him and that he would help with anything. Instead Sonny found his own way out of the pain by playing Jazz because it released what he was feeling like, and doing heroin because it made him feel like he was in power.
