James Baldwin's story of redemption and musical epiphany is filled with gritty realism and thematic uses of music and imagery. One of the strongest themes throughout the story is the use of cigarette smoking as a symbol of interpersonal barriers and depravity. The specific act of smoking not only provides substance to a number of characters within the story, but also symbolizes the dishonesty and unapproachable nature of each particular smoker. Likewise, each time a cigarette is tossed away or extinguished, the act is accompanied by brutal honesty and revelation. Cigarette smoke, then, exists as a character in the story rather than a mere byproduct of another habitual vice.As the clich phrase "smoke screen" suggests, the presence and creation of smoke are a character's subconscious way of distancing him or herself from others within the story. Nearly every scene depicts a character in the act of smoking, particularly when confronted with difficult dialogue or when attempting to hide his or her feelings. When the narrator first learns of Sonny's arrest, he immediately encounters a former associate of his brother's. After learning through his narration how angry and contemptuous the narrator feels toward this shady character, "...now, abruptly, I hated him" (75), it becomes apparent how further irritated he is by the boy's smug manner. His reply to the boy's "repulsive" grin is to effectively disassociate himself from him through a wall of cigarette smoke: "I offered him a cigarette and I watched him through the smoke" (75). It is as if the unsavory drug addict and his irritating familiarity with the narrator's brother are only tolerable through this protective veil.The boy is aided by the smoke in a different manner. Through his "smoke screen," he is able to deceive the narrator regarding the fate of his brother. He retains the cigarette as a means by which he can skirt the issue of what is to become of Sonny. At this point, the boy be...
