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Act 2, Scene 3: The Incorrigible Pachuco
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
George visits the gang in prison. When he arrives, they update him on their lives, and Joey says that he’s determined to lead a new life, adding, “No more pachuquismo for me.” As the conversation switches tracks, though, George tells them two pieces of unfortunate news. First, he says that it will be at least a couple of months before they’ll be able to officially file the appeal. Second, he tells them that he has been drafted and is going to fight in World War II. When he hears this, Henry immediately wonders if the government purposefully did this to deprive the members of the 38th Street Gang of their lawyer, but George doesn’t think this is the case. He also insists that they’ll be fine without him, saying that Alice and many other people are working hard for them on the outside.
Joey’s decision to give up the pachuco lifestyle is worth noting, since it suggests that the discrimination he’s been forced to endure has convinced him to refigure his entire identity. In this way, Valdez suggests that this kind of prejudice can have a profound impact on the way people live their lives. Furthermore, when Henry suspects that the military purposefully drafted George to deprive the 38th Street Gang of one of their most important allies, audience members see the extent to which the mistreatment he’s experienced has influenced his faith in the government at large.
Themes
After George bids Henry and his friends a sentimental farewell, the guard tells them they’ve been given new work assignments. This upsets Henry, who picks a fight with the guard. After restraining Henry, the guard puts him into solitary confinement.
Henry lashes out at the guard only after receiving bad news, a sign that the pressure of facing life in prison (and constant discrimination from American society) is starting to get to him. After all, this is the first time throughout the entire play that Henry has been the one to initiate a fight, suggesting that all of this mistreatment has had a negative influence on him.
Themes
