“Sonny's Blues” is considered one of Baldwin's first short stories. Originally published in the Partisan Review in 1957, "Sonny's Blues" revolves around the narrator as he learns who his drug-addicted, piano-playing little brother, Sonny, really is. Set in Harlem, similar to many of Baldwin's earlier works; “Sonny's Blues” is a constant struggle between light and darkness, disappointment and salvation (Kim 71). The story was incorporated into the short story anthology "Going to Meet the Man" published in 1965. This story demonstrates Baldwin's ability to transform his social and political fears into art. While “The Metamorphosis” is Franz Kafka's novel, originally published in 1915, Kafka attempted to depict the unexceptional circumstances of Gregor Samsa (main character of the story) (Kopec 323). This story illustrates a meaningless, if not completely unreasonable, occasion, which in itself suggests that the story takes place in a random and confusing universe. The character analysis of Sony's Blues shows that it gives insight not into Sonny and his ups and downs. of their common life but also in their environment. This story represents the comparison of societal issues, lives, status, and success (Kim 72). The study shows that throughout history, the writer constantly noticed the barely concealed anger of individuals around Sony as a way of showing off. The characters in “Sonny’s Blues” are trapped both physically and psychologically. However, the story, the narrator, and Sonny continually work hard to free themselves from one obstacle or another in order to avoid frustration in their lives. While the character of Gregor shows the transformation of his body into an insect at the beginning of the story. He... middle of paper... or was upset about his life and the story was related to the real story (Kim 93). The real “blues” that he played on the piano was him releasing the inner demons hidden within him from his life and living happily (Schachtel). While the "metamorphosis" represented Gregor's transformation into an insect, but he remained the same from a spirit perspective. Therefore, the story goes that every person has a certain hidden darkness within them. Works Cited Kim, Min Jung. “Images of “Darkness” as Inscriptions of Race in James Baldwin’s “Sonnys Blues.” Studies in American Fiction, 20. 2 (2013): 71--93. Print.Kopec, Stefan. “Studies on the necessity of the brain for the initiation of insect metamorphosis.” The Biological Bulletin, 42. 6 (1922): 323--342. Print.Schachtel, Ernest G. “Metamorphosis: On the Development of Affect, Perception, Attention, and Memory.” » Basic Books, (1959): Print.