The significance of the setting of this story is how Harlem shaped many individuals during that time. Racial tensions as well as the inequality in urban neighborhoods such as Harlem. One example of the racial tensions mentioned in the story occurs when the narrator discusses the tragedy his father experienced when he was young. I assumed the event occurred either before or just as the government introduced the Civil Rights Act, the white individuals in their car ran over and killed the father’s brother. This was significant as it showed the current state of how white individuals treated other individuals of color with no care not just in Harlem but in many sections of the United States. Additionally, the setting of Harlem captured the inequality present at the time for urban neighborhoods of minorities. The description Sonny paints of the smell of the garbage and drugs around the area of where he lived captures how these neighborhoods were often overlooked and neglected by society. It shows how Sonny, just like many in those same neighborhoods, were willing to find any way to get out of there to escape.

I would describe the relationship between the narrator and his brother as initially filled with misunderstanding. It was difficult for the narrator to see life through his brother’s eyes, specifically when the narrator felt he was already an adult. His time in the army had already made him feel older than his brother and now after the passing of their mother he had to take on the responsibility of caring for him and finding where he would be safe. However, their relationship grows to be more understanding after so much time has passed between the two. Sonny discusses the suffering he has gone through and the troubles that still haunt him about his addiction. Sonny mentions to the narrator that he thinks he will be alright, but he cannot forget where he has been, not just the physical place but mentally as well. The understanding between the two after this discussion is displayed in the reaction and description the narrator explains how Sonny played with such emotion the piano. That truly captured the moment the narrator understood Sonny and his art for the first time.

One question I have about the story that I would want to explore more in depth is Sonny’s life as he grew in his talent for playing the piano. It is mentioned briefly how Sonny practiced day and night and any moment he had available during his time living with Isabel and her parents, but I would like to have known more about his first show playing in a nightclub. The feeling he experienced when he first played in front of a live audience and his relationships with the other characters that he meets throughout his time in Greenwich Village. This is important to me because we would be able to see more in depth into his life experiences and how music, whether for good or bad, shaped his development throughout those years that he ran away from Isabel’s home. Would provide more insight as to how his addiction grew throughout the years and how the environment in which he was in changed him.