“William’s” Growth as an Understanding and Loving Brother In James Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues,” the protagonist is an African-American high school algebra teacher who lives in the projects in New York City. (This character will be referred to as “William,” which means "determined guardian," for writing purposes.) After the death of his mother, William is left with the difficult task of keeping his younger brother, Sonny, out of trouble and on …showed first 75 words of 949 total…

…showed last 75 words of 949 total…to be forgiving and understanding of his brother. He knows now that Sonny has a lot of things going on inside of him that are eating him up, and that all he (William) can do is to be there for his brother and to love him unconditionally. Work Cited Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 1999. 272-295.