Idea Paper

For my paper, I think I want to focus on Sonny’s upbringing. A lot of that, I believe has to do with the environment Sonny has been exposed too. At the beginning of the book, we’re introduced to a very strong scene. Sonny gets stabbed by one of his mom’s “boyfriends” and that doesn’t seem to faze him. He acts as if that something that happens on a regular basis. Also, Silvia, Sonny’s mom, doesn’t seem to pay very much attention to poor Sonny. All he wants from her is attention and love, but she’s too busy going out and working. Since Sonny had to practically raise himself, I think that has forced him to grow up and mature much faster than a regular teenager has to. I think that will forever leave Sonny with some emotional scarring.

Everything changes once Sonny and his mom move to Los Flores. Sonny believes that Cloyd is another “boyfriend” that is just a past time for his mom, but Sonny is wrong. From the very beginning, Sonny doesn’t get a good vibe from Cloyd. He sees right through Cloyds game. He’s just trying to impress Silvia and wants to make her believe that she actually cares for Sonny.  Sonny decides to go along with Cloyds game, and want s to make the best out of this time by exploring what and who Los Flores has to offer. This is a completely different environment than what Sonny was used to. One would think that Sonny would witness less crime and be less exposed to more dangerous things, but here Sonny is exposed to more than what he bargained.

At Los Flores, Sonny is exposed to drugs, alcohol, sex, and racism. Sonny was innocent before coming to Los Flores, but he loose his innocence and has to grow up and be a man. Sonny doesn’t get to experience a childhood. He mentions that he doesn’t have any friends except for his dog. But even then, his only friend is taken away by Cloyd. Sonny meets to pals at school, Mike and Joe. Sonny didn’t want to befriend them at the beginning because he assumed he would not be staying long, but they are two characters that help him go through this emotional roller coaster.

The people he encounters at Los Flores are the reason Sonny starts changing. Since he didn’t have much to there, he explored what story each neighbor had to tell. Nica and Cindy are two main characters that help develop Sonny’s change. Nica would be the angel over Sonny’s should and Cindy would be the devil. I believe that all this has shaped Sonny to what he becomes at the end of the novel.

Sonny is a teenager having to face all these things and through it all, he finds something that he can call his own. He steals throughout the novel; I believe that this is his defensive mechanism. He likes to feel the rush and likes to picture a better world when he steals.  So I think this is what I want to talk about in my paper. How Sonny’s environment has shaped him to who he is and influences his actions.