Idea Paper

For my paper I really wanted to focus it on the progression of Sonny, and through using Sociological Criticism analyze what forces are changing him in to the man he becomes at the ending of the novel. There are so many occasions in the book that bring out a new side in Sonny allowing him to grow. Front the start of the novel it becomes evident that Sonny is somewhat of a lone wolf and likes to do his own thing. He doesn’t have a violent personality but he is adventurous and has no problem with taking a risk, as he likes to sneak in to random homes when no one is home and hang out. As the story progresses his familiar life to change drastically as he moves out of his old home.

The beginning the novel introduces Cloyd, Sonny’s soon to be step dad who he has no interest in getting to know. Not too long after meeting Cloyd, Sonny and his mother Silvia move in to the apartment complex that his new step dad owns. This first big change in his life has him detached from everything in his new surrounding that he hates to be at the house. As the story develops more he encounters so many new acquaintances which shape who he becomes later on in both a positive and negative nature. The most prominent people in the novel are the characters of Nica: the girl he dreams about living just a few doors away from him, Cindy: a substance abusing young woman seducing Sonny when she can, Pink: the albino afro American who is always selling some kind of car across the street, Mrs. Zuniga: the wife and chef at Alley Cats the local bowling alley and diner, and lastly Cloyd: his step father who he wants nothing to do with.

I feel like each of these characters all impacted his life and his personality in positive and negative ways. The one that I came to realize after reading through the story was that for the lack of nurturing from his mother Silvia, he receives from Mrs. Zuniga who feeds him and talks to him almost everyday. Some negative impacts on Sonny I think is the influence of Cindy and Pink who have him smoking, drinking, having sex, driving without a license, and trying to dig up dirt on his step dad for some kind of a preemptive strike. One source which I think Sonny doesn’t realize is Cloyd because he is teaching him to take responsibility in his own actions and learn how to be a man. But at the same time Cloyd is quite a racist and when he drinks his whiskey which is almost all the time he gets very aggressive which affects Sonny negatively when exposed to it. I think Nica is the supporting force that keeps him going and she is something for him to look forward to everyday as he always passes by her apartment listening and trying to hear her voice.

In my essay I will analyze Sonny's surroundings along with everyone that has these negative and positive attitude effects on him through use of quotes and passages from the novel