The Weary Blues Theme
Themes
Suffering and the Power of Music : In this poem, we see the loneliness, sadness, and frustration of the black Americans. The poet hears a Black musician playing the piano on Lenox Avenue in Harlem. The music is slow, sad, and sleepy. The singer sings:
These lines reveal the emotional pain caused by poverty, racism, and loneliness. Yet, even in sadness, the music becomes a way of survival. Hughes shows how art gave voice to suffering. So, the theme here is both suffering and the healing power of art.“I ain’t happy no mo’
And I wish that I had died.”