In any given story book or novel, the writer of the novel has to use various literary devices. A literary device in this context implies the usual structures that are normally used by different writers in their works in order for them to convey the intended message in a way that is simpler and easy to understand as far as the readers are concerned. Among others, some of the commonly use literary devices comprises of characterization, point of view, symbolism, imagery and allegory, and theme. This paper focuses on the short story titled Sonny's Blues written by James Baldwin and analyzes how symbolism has been used in the story to offer deeper meaning. Prior to analyzing symbolism in Sonny's blue, it is important to first provide an brief overview of the story. Sonny's Blues is a story narrated in first person with the narrator narrating about the relationship that he has with Sonny who happens to be his younger brother. The story commences with the chronicler reading about his brother been caught in a drug bust. Disappointed by what his brother is involved in, the narrator reflects on his time as a child and wonders what might have lead his brother to be an addict. After the parents had died, the narrator makes effort to become a fatherly figure to the younger brother though he fails…show more content… That phrase is used to symbolize the challenging and complex situation that Sonny happens to be in. The image can be said to have been taken from the Bible since in the holy book, the cup of trembling has been used to symbolize the pain and terror that have plagued the people. Sonny’s intake from the cup of trembling acts as a reminder of the different sufferings that he has gone through and at the same time makes him believe that he will eventually be redeemed which he achieves by becoming a
