licitly describes to his brother the need to play music, and its relevant similarity to his drug addiction. The narrator begins to realize Sonny's plight, and arrives at a moment of understanding and forgiveness: I wanted to say more, but I couldn't. I wanted to talk about will power and how life could be -- well, beautiful. I wanted to say that it was all within; but was it? or rather, wasn't that exactly the trouble? And I wanted to promise that I would never fail him again. But it would all have sounded --empty words and lies. (92)Recognizing his lack of compassion, the narrator ultimately sees Sonny's implicit humanity. Thus, when accompanying him to the nightclub "[squeezing] through the narrow, chattering, jam-packed bar to the entrance" with "all that atmospheric lighting," it is interesting to note that nowhere in the description of the setting is the mention of smoke (94). With the brothers' new understanding of one another, the smoke literally fades, and even in a barroom atmosphere it is unnoticeable to the narrator as he observes "Sonny's world. Or, rather: his kingdom" (94).Baldwin's story of "Sonny's Blues," the story of ultimate salvation, ends in a very clear field of vision. Having finally been able to comprehend and accept one another, the smoke between the brothers dissipates, and clarity is reached. The narrator passively observes Sonny's musical triumph. Baldwin achieves the greatest effect by first allowing the reader to view life through the cloudy film of his characters' lives. Each of their personal withdrawals and withholdings of emotion is accented by their communication through this seemingly perpetual smoke. When Baldwin clears the air, in a literary sense, at the conclusion of the story, there is a very real, refreshing feeling of honesty and openness that might not have been achieved without the integral part that cigarette smoke plays throughout. It is this masterful device that allows the reader to almos...
