Analysis: Zoot Suit

 


In Luis Valdez’s play Zoot Suit, the plight of the Hispanic search for identity is exposed.  Although the play is set in the early 1940’s, issues it highlights are still problems for Hispanics today.  Henry Reyna, along with twenty other Hispanic youth, all Pachucos, is arrested and tired for a in August of 1942.  From the outset, it is clear, the “gang” of Pachucos being held will not be able to get a fair trial due to the continual criminalization of the young adults by The Press. 

The play is narrated by El Pachuco (The Pachuco), who resides in Henry’s subconscious, as the metaphorical embodiment of Pachuco culture, the “secret fantasy of every bato, in or out of the Chicanda” (Valdez 26). From his duck hat to his tailored tacuhe (suit), El Pachuco embodies all that is to be pachuco.  He is the quintessence of Hispanic pride and defiance, he is outspoken regarding injustice towards Hispanics, keeping the spotlight throughout the play on the dilemmas the group faces. 

El Pachuco opens the play with a soliloquy, not unlike a Shakespeare play, which sets the tone for what is to come.  He makes his speech in Caló (a mix of Spanish, Gyspy, and English language), emphasizing to the audience the importance of the Pachuco – he follows this speech in English, repeating the same information.  He utilizes this literary device throughout the play to reveal key information to the audience and to encourage Henry to fight the injustice he faces.  By first speaking in the language of Pachucos then following with the English translation, El Pachuco keeps the audience abreast of important pieces of the story. Using both languages he effectively emphasizes that Pachucos, and by extension, all Hispanics are as American as the English speakers.  

The Press, represented as a character in the play, embodies the public opinion of the group. It paints the Pachucos as goons, gangsters, criminals, and murders, creating panic amid the public. The play is more than retelling of the trial, its focus lays heavily in exposing racial stereotypes and bias at that time in the United States; sadly, not much has changed. Henry and the others have been tried and convicted by public opinion before they even reach the courtroom.  

Hispanics are overrepresented in media, films, and the nightly news as undereducated laborers, criminals, and undocumented aliens. Actor Pepe Serna shares his thoughts on the misrepresentation of Hispanics in his book Life is Art.  Latinos are often type cast as flat, undynamic characters in films and shows (141).  Serna’s concern that the limited types of roles Latinos play on screen creates a perception that they can only ever be those things in real life, is not without merit. “The point is that we need more story lines where Latino characters are played by Latino actors so that future generations of Latinos will see themselves and their realities reflected on the silver screen” (141). Serna expresses concern that this misrepresentation of Latinos was further strengthen when President Trump (who was in office at the time the book was written) described them as “rapists, murderers, and thieves” (141). 

Sadly, little has changed regarding racial bias and criminalization of Hispanics since the time the Zoot Suit Riots.  Public opinion seems permanently skewed negatively towards this group.  Without a broader representation of Hispanics in the media, as well as a deeper understanding of Hispanic culture in general, these stereotypes will undoubtedly continue.  


 

Works Cited

“10 Things to Know About Caló, a.k.a. Chicano Slang”. HipLatina. https://hiplatina.com/calo-language-chicano-slang/

“Pachuco.” Subcultures and Sociology. Grinnell College. https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultures-and-scenes/pachuco/

Serna, Pepe. Life is Art A Chicano’s Groundbreaking Life in Film. 2022.

Valdez, Luis. Zoot Suit and Other Plays. Arte Publico Press. Houston. 1992.

 

 

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