James baldwin
...ldwin writes about two brothers who grew together. As each of the boys grew older, they fell apart from one another and lived two completely different lives. The narrator, who is the older brother, seemed to be more conservative and more determined for a good future. Sonny, the younger brother, was more free-willed and did not even know what his plans were for the next hour, much less for the rest of his life. The narrator's major source of discontent has been his selfish desire to assimilate and lead a "respectable," safe life as a high-school algebra teacher. When he learns of Sonny's troubles with drugs and the law, he feels threatened. For him, the way he lives now is safe, and all Sonny does are dangerous. Baldwin carefully establishes the brothers as opposites. The narrator is a cautious, respectable figure who teaches math and is proud of his professional status. Living in a Harlem housing project, he consciously prevents himself from the dangers that he is continually exposed to. Sonny, by contrast, is a romantic artist who is not afraid of taking risks to pursue the things he desires. His passion for music makes him impatient with everything else. He drops out of school. In his brother's view he is “wild” but not “hard or evil or disrespectful.” However, Sonny although should by this time be immune to the danger is very afraid of it. It is not Sonny’s wish to of lived a corrupted life similar as the live that he did. He has several things that he is trying to escape; He attempts to escape by joining the military, but fails. He also tries to escape thro...