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Act 1, Prologue
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Zoot Suit, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism, Nationalism, and Scapegoating
Self-Presentation and Cultural Identity
Public Perception and the Press
Advocates vs. Saviors
Summary
Analysis
El Pachuco struts about to music as the stage transforms into a dance in the 1940s. Henry Reyna, the leader of the 38th Street Gang, dances with his friends and fellow gang members, all of whom—including Henry himself—are in zoot suits. As El Pachuco sings, Henry and his friends have a fantastic time until their rivals, the Downey Gang, enter. This causes commotion and disrupts the festivities, as El Pachuco rushes over to break up a fight developing between Henry and Rafas, the Downey Gang’s leader who has just pushed Henry’s little brother, Rudy.
In this section, Valdez sets the scene for the play. As Henry and the members of the 38th Street Gang dance, audience members will note that they’re all wearing zoot suits. This, in turn, suggests that this outfit is something that helps them identify as a cohesive group. In this way, the zoot suit becomes a tool to help the young men resonate with one another and, in doing so, strengthen their collective identity.
Themes
