Anna's Essay

Anna Holt
Mr. Salsich
English 9
September 22, 2008
“A Message in Music”
A Response to an Essay

What does it mean to relate to someone? Is there a way to look within a person and understand who they are, or do we die alone, only able to comprehend our personal being? Perhaps we each communicate in our own way, whether it be through words, art, or the old piano hidden in the attic. Suzy Goldman, a fine and literate writer, discusses these issues of communication and expression and how they play a part in the uplifting tale of a disturbed musician.
In her essay “A Message in Music”, Suzy Goldman speaks about the two constant themes wound together in the short story, Sonny’s Blues. The first argument that Goldman believes is made through Sonny’s story pertains to the vast canopy of communication. As Goldman points out, Sonny, in a fit of rage and misunderstanding, says to his brother, “I hear you. But you never hear anything I say.” (James Baldwin). This example speaks to the barrier between two men at a time in their relationship when “their failure to communicate [was] at its peak” (Goldman). The second recurring theme that Goldman says is present in Sonny’s Blues is music. Passionate melodies and endless rhythm take over Sonny’s life, and his “obsession with the piano […] becomes his only source of expression.” (Goldman). However, according to the author of this essay, maybe Sonny’s music was simply an outlet- a way to connect to the rest of the world. “The finale brings our two themes of interpersonal communication and music together,” says Goldman, concluding her thoughts on the messages sent through the complex and intricate story of a boy named Sonny.
I agree with Ms. Goldman in the fact that these themes are important, however when I look at Sonny, I see a character with additional dominant traits to those discussed in her essay. It is true that Sonny and his anonymous brother have difficulties seeing eye to eye. I also, like Goldman, think music played an important, if not entirely crucial, part in Sonny’s troubled life. When Sonny starts to play his piano, his brother says, “I understood, at last, that he [Sonny] could help us be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did.” That being said, are we to forget everything else that there is to know about Sonny and his life? In her four page analysis of this story, Goldman fails to mention the love and companionship shared between Sonny and his brother. The horrors of a drug addiction are a second pressing theme that is all but ignored in this piece of writing. Although I respect and agree with every one of Goldman’s points, I believe that Sonny and his blues were made up of more elements than she explains in her essay.
Ms. Goldman and I have slightly differed opinions on what is important in Sonny’s Blues, but I think we can all agree that expression and communication are two of the most valuable gifts we can be given. There are moments in this life that we are able to skim the surface of one’s heart, to boarder true understanding of another. Perhaps there is a way to peer through the windows of trust and companionship into ones soul. If we must create connections to another through a dusty piano in a dimly lit bar, so be it.