Physically, Sonny is trying to flee the slums of Harlem. “Boys… came down into the streets for light and air and found themselves encircled by disaster. Some escaped the trap, most didn’t” (569). Baldwin illustrates here how negatively they view the city in which they grew up. In a heated conversation later in the story Sonny very bluntly states, “I don’t want to stay in Harlem no more, I really don’t” (576). Because of the living conditions, poverty, and the lack of opportunity Sonny has a strong…
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