Introduction “Sonny’s Blues” is a story written by James Baldwin, which focuses on two black brothers living in Harlem. The work was published in 1954, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, which makes race a central subject of the book. It is primarily focused on the life of black adults and adolescents in the mid-20th century. Through exploring the characters’ lives, the author reflects on the notions of drug use, hopelessness, and escape in the context of the black community. Drug Use Drugs are among the key topics discussed in work since the narrator’s brother, Sonny, has recently been arrested for using heroin. Kowalska explains that “Sonny’s Blues” explores the dynamics associated with drug use and offers readers an insight into the chosen subculture (1). The author shows that drug use among adolescents and young adults is a significant problem of the black community and that it stems from disrupted adolescence (Kowalska 2). Indeed, the images of adolescents described by Baldwin stress their early maturity through negative behaviors, including swearing, smoking, alcohol use, and drug use. Early in the text, the narrator hears school students talking and laughing in the hallway and notes: “It was not the joyous laughter which – God knows why – one associate with children. It was mocking and insular, its intent was to denigrate” (Baldwin 18). These images of adolescence serve to highlight the damage brought on children by their environment. The depiction of drug and substance use serves to emphasize the suffering experienced by black people in Harlem. This is evident because the discussion of drugs and alcohol in work is associated with themes of death, grief, and suicide (Kowalska 2). When the narrator meets Sonny’s friend, who is also a drug addict, he mentions that “if [he] was smart, [he would] have reached for a pistol a long time ago” (Baldwin 20). Another instance of death and grief being associated with self-destructive behaviors can be seen when the narrator recalls his father’s brother’s death (Baldwin 29). These instances show both the causes and the effects of substance use in the community. On the one hand, people use drugs and alcohol as a way of coping with grim reality. On the other hand, drug and alcohol use creates more problems for them and supports the cycle of personal suffering that exists in the community. Hopelessness The lack of opportunities for the future is also a prominent topic connected to disrupted adolescence and childhood. The fact that the narrator is a school teacher serves to emphasize this idea by placing him close to the young black population. Despite trying to teach adolescents, the narrator acknowledges that it is unlikely for them to find decent jobs and live a happy life in the future. Baldwin writes: “They were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities” (18). The context of the work is of particular importance here because, before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prevented discrimination based on race and color, black people had limited work opportunities in the United States. The history of slavery and segregation meant that it was usually impossible for them to become integrated into socie