When reading “Sonny's Blues” by James Baldwin, themes, symbolism, and motifs were discovered throughout the entire story. Sonny, one of the two main characters, is struggling with a drug addiction and is now following his dream of becoming a jazz musician. The narrator, whose name is never revealed, does his best to keep the promise he made years ago to his mother to be his brother's keeper. James Baldwin, an African-American author, grew up in Harlem, New York. Baldwin had no one to share his love of literature with. Baldwin's father was against his following the path of a literary career. James Baldwin, however, received support from the mayor and his English teacher. Baldwin left his parents' home at the age of 17, to settle in Green Village, New York. Green Village was a city famous for its artistic environment and free thinkers, here he began his career. James Baldwin's stories are often set during the Civil War, as is one of his most famous stories, Sonny's Blues. Towards the beginning of the story of SONNYS BLUES the narrator has a feeling of ice in his stomach. The narrator experienced this feeling as he read the newspaper informing him that his brother was in prison for drug possession. The feeling of ice symbolizes fear and discomfort for the narrator. “A large block of ice settled in my belly and continued to slowly melt there throughout the day. . .. It was a special kind of ice. It continued to melt, sending streams of ice water up and down my veins, but it never diminished. (“Ice.” Shmoop. Np, nd Web. 02 December 2013.) The narrator felt somewhat responsible and guilty for the life his little brother is living and if he was there to guide him maybe then things could be better different . Jazz music sy...... middle of paper ......aldwin shows that light, at least in his perspective, represents most of the good. Baldwin described Sonny's face as "extremely bright" ("Light and Dark Motif in "Sonny's Blues"" Yahoo Contributor Network. Np, nd Web. 02 Dec 2013.) or bright to demonstrate that Sonny looked and felt innocent as he grew up as a teenager. James Baldwin did a great job of including many themes, symbols, and motifs throughout the story. The themes, symbols and motifs are what keep you interested as a reader and make you think even more because there is always something more to what James Baldwin said. There are many hidden messages throughout the story that require you to pay attention the entire time. Works Cited Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." The anthology of jazz fiction. Ed. Sascha Feinstein and David Rife. Bloomington: Indiana SU, 2009. 17-48.