The scene in which the realization takes place is the one where Sonny shows his brother his talent with the piano. Not only are the images extremely moving as he felt "his own tears begin to flow" for the first time in a long time, but the symbol of the shaking cup is also striking. At the very end, the narrator has his revelation. He sees the cup "[shining] and shaking above [his] brother's head" most likely symbolizing the sacred cup or luminous halo alluding to the biblical sacred cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. Those who have a luminous halo above their heads are considered saints or saints. So, having this cup floating above Sonny's head gives the impression that Sonny is, in fact, no longer a sinner and has moved toward salvation. As his music plays, the cup rises, meaning that through Sonny's music he is able to replace his old addiction with a more productive one: music. For the narrator to realize this, he can become much more aware of his brother's passion through the "trouble that stretches above them, longer than the sky." Despite the problems above them, the narrator realizes that "freedom awaited them" and that his brother's music gives Sonny a healthier freedom than he had with heroin. He is able to channel his struggles caused by heroin into something beautiful with his music. Thanks to this realization, the narrator