Help

The narrator refuses to understand the struggles of his younger brother, Sonny, whose life has been twisted by heroin abuse and a prison sentence. The narrator has an emotional epiphany when he finally listens to Sonny play music. He perceives his connection to his family, to the African American race, and even to humanity at large. Embracing this truth temporarily relieves his suffering and allows him to understand Sonny's suffering.

'Look. Don’t tell me your sad story, if it was up to me, I’d give you one.’ Then I felt guilty—guilty, probably, for never having supposed that the poor bastard had a story of his own, much less a sad one, and I asked, quickly, ‘What’s going to happen to him now?’”