Swami Nirmalananda, a disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna, once said: "Our modern society is busy polishing and decorating the cage in which man is kept imprisoned." Society is seen by many as a cage because the cultural beliefs that make up society are what guide the actions and behaviors of those who are part of it. Sometimes culture in societies helps people develop successfully and positively, but this is not always the case. Indeed, during the mid-20th century, numerous societies challenged by racism were marked by anger (Banks). Because of this, many of the people who lived within it developed problematic lives. In two short stories written during the mid-20th century, “Sonny's Blues,” by James Baldwin and “The Man Who Was Almost a Man,” by Richard Wright, two African-American characters find themselves facing separate hardships, similarly caused by sociocultural factors. Both characters' problems are difficult to overcome, and until they are, the characters are unable to realize their most extreme desires. In James Baldwin's short story "Sonny's Blues" the main character, Sonny, faces many sociocultural factors, especially the social environment he experiences. he grew up. His social environment is one of the causes of his troubled life; a life in which he shoots heroin, as well as dealing it. Sonny grew up in Harlem, a place that the narrator, Sonny's brother, describes as “disast[rous],” “dangerous[ous],” and “dark” (Baldwin, 41,42,43). Poverty is also prevalent in Harlem, as readers can see when the narrator describes housing projects that are “already dilapidated” after a short period of construction (Baldwin, 41). Furthermore, Harlem is a place where kids become “tough or mean or… center of paper……h Sonny and Dave suffer from problems caused by sociocultural factors, particularly their social environment, as well as the lack of a solid structure family. Sonny and Dave realize through their difficulties that to achieve their desires they must overcome these factors. For Sonny, overcoming his problem meant becoming a musician, and for Dave, overcoming his problem meant escaping to a place where he could become a man. The structure of the two stories is essentially the same: problem caused by sociocultural factors, consequences as a result of this problem, and the way the character deals with the problem. The last part is crucial, if the characters do not face the problems themselves they will both find themselves back where they started, "a cage in which man is kept imprisoned" (Nirmalananda). By dealing with their problems, both characters are now free.