Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues, and Zalman King’s In God’s Hands, share a common theme of individualism. Every society has certain values and generally accepted ways of living that are considered normal. These principles are what keep societies organized and orderly. Conforming to these principles, however, is not necessarily the road to happiness for every individual. The main character, Shane, in In God’s Hands, Sonny, in Sonny’s Blues, and the speaker in The Road Not Taken, all choose not to live by what is considered normal, or popular, and are able to find happiness by living as individuals.Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken is a poem about the choices every person must make in their life. The first line of this poem, “Two Roads diverged in a yellow wood”, though only seven words long, can be interpreted to mean several things. First, the color of the trees being yellow, meaning that it is fall, represents a time of change. Second, the “two roads diverged” signify a choice which must be made. In this first line Frost has metaphorically depicted a person who must make a decision that will greatly change his life. The second stanza describes the road that is chosen as grassy and wanting wear. The second to last line of the poem also says that the speaker took the “road less traveled by”. These two lines can be interpreted to mean that the choice that was made was not the popular choice. The speaker in the poem has made his decision based on individual preference, rather than what others would consider normal. The character of Sonny, in Sonny’s Blues, lives a life that would not be considered normal in any society. He is a heroin addict who has spent time in prison, and centers his life on playing the blues. Sonny’s lifestyle is contrasted by the character of his brother, who is a married hig...
