Sonny's Blues The Home Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Paragraph)

Quote #7

He hopes that the hand which stokes his forehead will never stop – will never die.  He hopes that there will never come a time when the old folks won't be sitting around the living room, talking about where they've come from, and what they've seen, and what's happened to them and their kinfolk. (81)

This is an example of "home" more as a state of being than a physical place.  The scene of the child lying in his mother's lap, getting his head rubbed and listening to the adults talk, is almost magical. It's more the act than the place that makes this "home."

Quote #8

When I came back, nothing had changed, I hadn't changed, I was just – older. (218)

"Home" doesn't change for Sonny after he grows up.  It's almost like it's been waiting for him, like a time capsule, while he's grown and changed.

Quote #9

Yet, it was clear that, for them, I was only Sonny's brother.  Here, I was in Sonny's world.  Or rather:  his kingdom.  Here, it was not even a question that his veins bore royal blood. (229)

The nightclub is truly Sonny's "home" now.  He is comfortable here, in his element.  He has created a home for himself outside of the place where he sleeps and eats.  He's accepted and admired here, and that's what makes this "home" for him.