Sibling Rivalry as the Prevalent Theme in Sonnys Blues and The Rich Brother - Research Paper Example

 Sibling Rivalry as the Prevalent Theme in ‘Sonny’s Blues’ and ‘The Rich Brother’ Rivalry between siblings is a dominant theme in the short stories ‘Sonny’s Blues’ by James Baldwin, and ‘The Rich Brother’ by Tobias Wolff. In ‘Sonny’s Blues’ the narrators wayward younger brother becomes a burden for which he is responsible for, and their entirely contrasting lifestyles and perspectives create a huge amount of tension between them, to the point where the younger brother is a constant source of stress and antagonization for the narrator. In ‘The Rich Brother’ we again see a pair of brothers in extremely different life situations. One is successful in terms of wealth and material goods, while the other is much poorer but enjoys a much more spiritual and internally happy attitude. Both sets of brothers reflect the biblical story of Cain and Abel, in which sibling rivalry manifests as two brothers display entirely opposing personal characteristics and beliefs. The unnamed narrator of ‘Sonny’s Blues’ engages in a rivalry with his brother throughout the story, albeit in a slightly unconventional way. While each is not trying to out-do the other in terms of impressing other people or gaining acclaim of any kind as is the case in most conventional sibling rivalries, it is their opposing lifestyles and attitudes which are fighting against each other as the narrator cannot accept his brothers actions and constantly attempts to coax him into a more traditional and ‘normal’ lifestyle like his own. Though the narrator has largely ignored his troubled younger brother for many years, when he does reach out to him while in jail, their lack of communication is evident as the narrator realises that he does not really know his brother at all. At the beginning of the story, the narrator sees news of his brother’s trouble in the newspaper and it is only because of this report that “Sonny became real to [him] again” (Baldwin page no). The narrator enjoys a conventional and respectable lifestyle – he is married with a family, maintains a full-time teaching job and is a respected member of the community in which he grew up. In stark contrast with this, the younger brother Sonny, has engaged in drug use since a very young age and has been in trouble with the law consistently. Feeling extremely trapped in his life by facing obstacles typical of that of a black man in Harlem during the 1960s, Sonny represents the problems faced by that community at that particular time (Reilly 56). The narrator is given the responsibility of watching out for his young brother by his mother, which he neglects to do for years as his brother’s choices are so incompatible with his own. In a way, Sonny needs to be saved and it is up to the narrator to do this, even if he is unwilling to do so and this leads them to arguments and fights along the way. When the narrator speaks to a friend of his brother, it is only then that he realises how badly his brother needs his help. The drug-addled friend represents what Sonny will become if left to his own devices and without support, which gives the narrator the impetus he needs to resolve to make an effort to understand Sonny and to help him improve his life. When he first sees Sonny after his stint in jail, he initially does not recognise him “Yet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother I’d never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light” (Baldwin page no). It is not until the very end of the story, when he and Sonny go to a jazz club that the narrator first truly sees who Sonny actually is. Music is his passion and when he plays in front of the narrator, his passion, heartache, struggle and emotions all become beautifully manifest through the music. This leads the narrator to finally understand that Sonny has potential to change, that he has heart and that there is hope for him in terms of bettering his life. In ‘The Rich Brother’, we again see two brothers of extremely conflicting lifestyles. Much like ‘Sonny’s Blues’, the older brother, Pete, is successful and relatively wealthy while the younger brother, Donald is poorer by comparison. However, this story goes even further to convey the differing characteristics between the siblings as we see just how opposite they are in almost every area of life. Pete exemplifies the American dream – he is wealthy, successful and has all of the material goods he could possibly want; a large house, an expensive car, a boat and limitless financial resources for his family (O’Gorman 74). Donald on the other hand, lives quite frugally as he has no family, is in financial debt and survives off of random house painting jobs. He is described as physically gaunt and is preoccupied with the fate of his soul which appears to be a top priority for him over any material possessions, in stark contrast to his brother. Right from the very beginning of the story, we see the dynamic between their relationship as Pete gives his younger brother one hundred dollars to help him pay his bills. During this exchange, the long standing rivalry between them is hinted at when Donald reminds Pete that as a child, he wanted to kill him to which Pete passes off lightly by stating “children always do such things” (Wolff page no) The essence of the rivalry between the pair exposes itself when Donald gives the one hundred dollars given to him by Pete, to a business man who presents them with a financial opportunity. Donald appears to have a very enlightened yet thoroughly naive spirit, as he gives away his money despite the fact that he is in so much need of it himself and has only this strange mans word as proof of his authenticity. Pete on the other hand, is extremely sceptical and is immediately distrustful of the character. When Donald gives him the money, Pete becomes so enraged by this act, which he sees as ridiculous and stupid, that he reacts by throwing Donald out of the car in disgust. He wonders what to tell his wife when she asks about Donald as he has thrown him out of the car and tries to ignore his feelings of guilt and regret over what he has done, "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 page no). Pete’s discomfort and opposition to the way that Donald lives his life and towards his trusting nature appears to be the one thing that is missing from Pete’s life and leads to his own personal dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Simultaneously, it is Donald’s lack of cynicism, so prevalent in Pete, that has lead to Donald’s poor financial state of great debt. What each brother dislikes in the other, is what each is missing to an extent and also, what causes their tension and insidious sense of rivalry. In the end Pete is proven correct in his cynicism but the result does make him evaluate his own character in relation to his brother, "And it came to him that it would be just like this unfair life for Donald to come out ahead in the end, by believing in some outrageous promise that would turn out to be true and that he, Pete, would reject out of hand because he was too wised up to listen to anybody's pitch anymore except for laughs" (Wolff page no). In ‘Sonny’s Blues’ and ‘The Rich Brother’, the authors each explore the dynamics of sibling relationships and the rivalry which exists particularly when each brother has such conflicting lifestyles and beliefs. In both stories, one brother enjoys a conventionally successful and socially respectable lifestyle which includes money, professional success, family and the material trappings of wealth, while the other brother is poor, single and engages in socially undesirable and irresponsible activities. The tensions these differences create lead to a sense of rivalry between each pair of siblings as their opposing attitudes are incompatible with a positive and healthy relationship. Works Cited O’Gorman, Farrell. “Tobias Wolff’s Back in the World: American Dreamers, American Desert, Saving Word.” Studies in Contemporary Fiction 48.1 (2006): 71-89. Print. Reilly, John. “Sonny’s Blues: James Baldwin’s Image of Black Community.” Negro American literature 4.2 (1970): 56-60. Print. Schilb, John and John Clifford. Making Literature Matter. Location: Publisher. Year. Print. (it is perhaps more correct to separate the above reference into the 2 stories..) Read More