According to Literature and It's Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, a symbol is defined as "a word (or person, object, image, or event) that evokes a range of additional meanings that are usually more abstract than its literal significance (1691). In many stories there are symbols. In Sonny's Blues, James Baldwin created several symbols. After reading this story I believe that one of the strongest symbols in this story is the use of cigarette smoking to keep personal boundaries and privacy.
             Through out the story, many of the characters smoke. However, if one notices carefully, that every time a character is smoking, he is in an uncomfortable situation. In the beginning of the story the narrator runs into one of Sonny's old friends after hearing about Sonny's arrest. The narrator offers the boy a smoke while the talk about Sonny's situation. Obviously the narrator is uneasy with this conversation and the person he is talking to. Another instance is when Sonny and his brother are talking about Sonny's living arrangements after their mother dies. After arguing about Sonny's future, Sonny reaches for the pack of cigarettes on the table and lights one up. By doing this he is distancing himself from his brother because he believes his brother doesn't understand him. Towards the end of the story when Sonny is performing, his brother realizes and accepts Sonny for who he really is, a musician. Finally the smoke is cleared.
             All through this story Sonny and the narrator build up privacy barriers. They talk to each other but neither of the two really listen and understand. In Robert A. Berens' Looking Through the Smoke in "Sonny's Blues", he claims the characters communicate through a "smoke screen". By doing this they are distancing themselves. As the story ends, and the smoke screen disappears, the brot
             ...