Sonny Loves His Money!

Sonny's always had a thing for money. But Cloyd's hidden stash wasn't like the other pocket change people left lying around. In fact, Sonny had even refused to steal "an envelope with twenties, coming out to $200... [because it] was so much it got [him] scared" (49).  The first time Sonny attempted to steal the money he noticed "all the killed eyes in his office, eyes like Goofy's" (131). In his most recent attempted he had made a decision and "opened the drawer like an oven and took the envelope" (158).

Throughout The Flowers Sonny's always enjoyed the sensation of stealing money, but not necessarily spending it. At certain times he picks up a few dollars because the owner seems to treat them like trash, but at other times there's been an underlying reason for his actions; usually it’s his anger with that person. For example after Cindy tells Sonny he "came too fast" he "wanted to yell at her for saying that... I wanted to steal something of hers" (87). And more recently when Bud confronts Sonny about stealing the magazines he feels an urge" to steal something from him. Put nails under his tires" (196).

With so much money, Sonny could be doing a lot of things with his money, but I doubt he'll spend any of it. In the past he's always been frugal with his money; spending as little of it as possible and always feeling that he "was spending too much." If I had a chance to meet Sonny in real life I'd predict that he'd continue to save his money, counting it every once in a while to make himself feel better. But since Sonny exists in a story, I can be more imaginative with my predictions. Lately Sonny and Nica have been bonding, I believe he will spend the money in order to enjoy something with her. They might end up running away or simply going on a late night adventure. It's only a matter of days before Cloyd discovers his money's been stolen. He'll probably throw a giant fit and accuse Sonny; after all he did steal those magazines. No matter what way Sonny spends his money, I think he'll learn something about himself and the world around him. He may end up discovering stealing is truly unethical or he might end up realizing why he sees colors at random times, but he will definitely realize something.

If I were in Sonny's position I wouldn't have stolen the money to begin with, but that's a boring response. If I did end up stealing the money I would probably have used it to travel to Notre Dame, perhaps even taking Nica along. Based on my analysis of Sonny, I think he'd like to escape from the troubles in his current life and start a new one; away from Cloyd, Cindy, and even his mother. It might help sooth his addiction to stealing, visions of exploding colors, and even the random blasts of anger; I know it would help me.