“Sonny's Blues” is a well-known short story written by James Baldwin. The main conflict in the story is communication between brothers and finding a way to understand each other. Sonny's brother, who is the narrator of the story, is comfortable teaching algebra which “suggests his desire for standard procedures and elegant, clear solutions” (Murray 353), while Sonny's passion is playing jazz. The narrator has difficulty understanding Sonny and believes that Sonny's interest in music is temporary. He wants Sonny to live with his wife's family and go to school. However, Sonny finds it difficult to go to school every day as music is all he wants to do. When the narrator finds out that Sonny has been arrested for using and selling heroin, he can't believe it would happen to Sonny, even though deep down he knew it could. Only at the end does the narrator understand Sonny and feel his pain. Many critical articles have been written about "Sonny's Blues". Some critics believe that the conflict is primarily between Sonny or the narrator. Others think it is a conflict between brothers. One critic, Suzy Bernstein Goldman, states that “Sonny's Blues” is “about communication between people” (Goldman 231) and that the music ultimately saves them, while another critic, Donald C. Murray, believes that Baldwin “is about of man's need to find his identity in a hostile society” (Murray 353) and the meaning of this story is not just about communication but about love. While both are true, the main conflict in this story is about mutual understanding. When Sonny was a teenager, his brother wanted Sonny to stay with his wife's family and go to school like any other normal child. Sonny's brother believed that education was... the middle of paper... if it opened up to Sonny, it should open up to himself. And this scared him. Only the personal pain of losing his beloved daughter makes him understand Sonny's pain. Only then does the narrator begin to communicate with Sonny and listen to his side of the story. He realizes that the people he loves can be gone in an instant and that every moment should be cherished. Only at the end does the narrator see everything very clearly. He sees Sonny's pain and his life passing through his eyes. The narrator not only sees Sonny, but he sees himself and this helps him understand what life is about. Through music he understands that love can save them. And there is nothing more important than family. Works Cited Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues." The anthology of jazz fiction. Ed. Sascha Feinstein and David Rife. Bloomington: Indiana SU, 2009. 17-48.