African American Cultural Influences on an Author

James Baldwin, author of "Sonny's Blues," claims that his writing is greatly affected by the culture of his African American roots. He states that there is "ambiguity and irony of Negro life " (Baldwin, in Charters, 2007.p 1415). However there are other authors of African American decent that approach their cultural influence differently. The works of Hurston in "Sweat" and Wright in "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" portray the life in society very differently from that in "Sonny's Blues". While all of these stories might have some ambiguity and irony attributed to Negro life, they do not all convey the same message.

In "Sonny's Blues" we learn of a man's relationship with his brother, one that is tormented by time and space, as well as the lack of communication between these brothers. War, marriage, and time has severed their relationship, but not the bond of brotherhood. While these brothers chose different paths for their lives, they both deal with the loss of their parents, and a desire to have a relationship with their kin. The writing style of "Sonny's Blues" is very informative, yet laid back. The reader can be immediately drawn to the first person writing of the story and compelled to find out what truly happens next in the life of these brothers. The brothers grew up in an area of Harlem, where the both wanted to escape. I can imagine the biggest attribute to Mr. Baldwin's statement about the ambiguity and irony of Negro life is that is like a drug that you crave. The surroundings of an area where you grew up will always be where you feel most at home, even though they both desire to leave this area. The brothers in the story both return to their "homeland" later in life; Sonny finally being reintroduced to his brother's family after completing rehab treatment. The time away doesn't seem to phase their natural instinct to nurture each other. Sonny has a zest for life that his older brother has missed out on, but not without pain, suffering, and consequence. Sonny's brother has a great epiphany towards the end of the story, listening to his brother play piano, "I heard what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth.....And he was giving it back, as everything must be given back, so that, passing through death, it can live forever... And I was yet aware that this was only a moment, that the world waited outside, as hungry as a tiger, and that trouble stretched above us, longer than the sky." (Baldwin, in Charters 2007, p. 59)

In "The Man Who Was Almost A Man" by Wright, we see a young man Dave that is full of pride and ambition to own his own gun. Now that he is a working man, he is invigorated by the possibility of purchasing this tool for his use. The family dynamic is holding Dave back from his purchase, however, because his mother has the money he has earned by helping Mr. Hawkins on his farm. While Sonny in "Sonny's Blues" was ruled by drugs and need for freedom, Dave in this story is ruled by ambition and materialism. He believes the ownership of the gun will promote him in society, one in which he is held back as a farm-hand, and because he isn't the head of the household in his family. The dynamics of the African American life in this story are much more harsh in style. Since the setting of this story is not in an area of Harlem, like "Sonny's Blues" but a mix of negros and whites, the ambiguity and irony in this story is that Dave wants to reach a higher level of society, but ends up doing the opposite -- digging his hole deeper. Once he has acquired the gun, he mistakenly shoots one of Mr. Hawkins animals, leaving him with debt, and without a gun, which he has to turn over . "Take the gun n git yo money back n carry it to Mister Hawkins, yuh hear? N don fergit Ahma lam you black bottom good fer this! Now march yosef on home, suh!" (Wright, in Charters 2007. P. 820).

In Zora Neale Hurston's story, "Sweat" we are introduced to Delia, who washes clothes for the white people amongst her town. Her husband has had a mistress for quite some time and clearly doesn't approve of Delia washing the clothes of the townspeople, " Ah done tole you time and again to keep them white folks' clothes outa dis house." (Hurston, in Charters. 2007. P. 355). The greatest irony in this particular story is that Delia is the breadwinner of her fledging family. Her husband hasn't worked, but chooses to drink away any earnings he does receive, and spending money on his mistress, leaving a beaten Delia to care for the bills and house. In a society where men are the bread-winners, and women are more quiet-natured, the roles in this story are reversed. Another great irony of the story is that if Delia was a white person, the townspeople that did have a great respect for her already, would have done something about her abusive husband. They choose to hide their respect for her, talking in hushed tones behind her back.

Life of an African American in the rising society of the mid to twentieth century sounds very common to the life of other cultures living in the day and in today's society. While these stories are full of irony in life, the problems addressed: drug addiction, lack of hierarchy, and abuse, are still being dealt with in the twenty-first century amongst African American individuals, whites, Chinese, (the list goes on) people a like. These stories help bring cultural awareness to individuals that have never been exposed to the life in Harlem, or in the days of slavery, but the author's have all shared different elements of story and theme in their writings that can easily be attributed to life in all people, not just those of African Americans.

Works Cited

Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues" in Ann Charters The Story and It's Writer. 2007. Bedford/St. Martin's, Massachusetts.

Wright, Richard. "The Man Who Was Almost A Man" in Ann Charters The Story and It's Writer. 2007. Bedford/St. Martin's, Massachusetts.

Hurston, Zora Neale. "Sweat" in Ann Charters The Story and It's Writer. 2007. Bedford/St. Martin's, Massachusetts.