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Act 1, Scene 6: The People’s Lawyer
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
At the dance on the night of the Sleepy Lagoon murder, the members of the 38th Street Gang enjoy themselves while drinking beer and listening to loud music. As Henry and Della dance, Henry’s ex-girlfriend, Bertha, approaches and confrontationally asks if she can step in for a number. Henry tells her to go away, but his attention is soon redirected when Smiley comes over and tells him that the Downey Gang has just arrived. Henry decides to keep an eye on them, but it isn’t long before Rafas picks a fight with Rudy, who’s drunk. Henry stands up for his brother, and the 38th Street Gang surrounds the Downey Gang, outnumbering them considerably. As the two gangs begin to fight, Henry tells them to stop, wanting to take Rafas on by himself.
This is the first time audience members witness Henry’s confrontational side. Given that he and his friends stand accused of murder, this developing fight might seem like an indication that they are, perhaps, guilty. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that this altercation is little more than a petty fight, one in which Henry simply wants to stand up for his little brother. And yet, even this relatively tame behavior puts Henry and his friends at risk, since white authorities like Edwards and Smith are so eager to assume the worst of young Chicanos, viewing them all as criminals and murderers.
Themes
Henry and Rafas pull out switchblades and start knife-fighting. Henry soon emerges victorious, poised with his blade against Rafas’s neck. Just then, El Pachuco snaps his fingers and everybody freezes in place. El Pachuco tells Henry that “two more Mexicans killing each other” is “exactly what the play needs right now.” Henry tries to ignore him, saying that Rafas will kill him if he doesn’t act first, but El Pachuco says this kind of bloodshed is exactly what the audience has paid to witness. He then snaps his fingers again, and everyone reanimates. Kicking Rafas away, Henry tells him to get lost. With this, the Downey Gang retreats as both sides fling insults and threats at one another. When Rafas and his crew are gone, the 38th Street Gang resumes the party, celebrating this small victory.
When El Pachuco tells Henry to reconsider killing Rafas, the audience sees that he’s sensitive to how Henry and the rest of the Chicano community present themselves. Saying that the audience has paid to see bloodshed, he implies that unnecessary violence will only confirm negative stereotypes about pachucos. Accordingly, he urges Henry to think about what kind of message he will send if he slits Rafas’s throat, ultimately encouraging him to manage his public image by refusing to perpetuate behaviors that racists would eagerly hold against him.
Themes
