Zoot Suit Character Analysis

Henry Reyna

Henry is a 21-year-old member of Los Angeles’s Chicano community, and the protagonist of Zoot Suit. The leader of the 38th Street Gang, Henry is a well-liked young man who enjoys wearing zoot suits… read analysis of Henry Reyna

El Pachuco

El Pachuco is a multifunctional character in Zoot Suit, since he serves as both a narrator and a part of Henry’s consciousness, often talking to him and giving him advice in times of… read analysis of El Pachuco

Alice Bloomfield

Alice Bloomfield is a reporter and activist who is eager to counter the predominant narrative about the Chicano community in the press. To do this, she introduces herself to Henry while he’s in prison, telling… read analysis of Alice Bloomfield

George Shearer

George is an attorney who wants to defend Henry and the other members of the 38th Street Gang in court. A kind man who believes in the importance of upholding justice and fighting racism, he… read analysis of George Shearer

Rudy

Rudy is Henry’s younger brother. Eager to be like Henry, Rudy is sometimes overzealous and hotheaded. For example, after drinking too much at a party, he picks a fight with Rafas, the leader… read analysis of Rudy

The Judge

The judge who presides over Henry and his friends’ trial is played by the same actor who portrays Lieutenant Edwards. This is an early indication in the play that he will be biased against… read analysis of The Judge

The Public Prosecutor (“Press”)

The lawyer who serves as the public prosecutor in Henry’s court case is a manipulative and crafty man who stakes his entire strategy on trying to convince the jurors that the Chicano community poses… read analysis of The Public Prosecutor (“Press”)

Rafas

Rafas is the leader of the Downey Gang, the rivals of the 38th Street Gang. Rafas and his crew often show up at 38th Street Gang parties, much to Henry’s dismay. He and his… read analysis of Rafas

Lieutenant Edwards

Lieutenant Edwards is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. Edwards is a racist man who has a long personal history with Henry, since he was the first person to arrest Henry, though… read analysis of Lieutenant Edwards

Sergeant Smith

Sergeant Smith is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department who unfairly and mercilessly persecutes Henry and the rest of the 38th Street Gang. Like Lieutenant Edwards, Smith discriminates against the city’s Chicano… read analysis of Sergeant Smith

Della

Della is Henry’s girlfriend. While testifying at Henry’s trial, Della refuses to answer a question because she knows that the public prosecutor will twist her words around to make it seem like she’s making… read analysis of Della

Joey Castro

Joey Castro is a member of the 38th Street Gang. While in prison, Joey decides to give up leading the life of a pachuco. However, when he’s eventually acquitted and let out of prison… read analysis of Joey Castro

Tommy Roberts

Tommy Roberts is a member of the 38th Street Gang. Unlike the other members, though, Tommy is white. However, he closely identifies with the pachuco lifestyle, seeing the Chicano community as his own because he… read analysis of Tommy Roberts

Dolores

Dolores is Henry’s mother. A loving woman, she worries about the fact that police officers target Henry and his friends for wearing zoot suits, though she doesn’t stop Henry from dressing how he… read analysis of Dolores

Enrique

Enrique is Henry’s father. When Henry is in prison, Enrique and his wife, Dolores, take in Henry’s girlfriend, Della, because her parents kicked her out. During this time, Enrique tells Della that Henry… read analysis of Enrique

The Press

Throughout the play, multiple members of the press involve themselves in whatever’s going on. By announcing headlines, they call attention to new developments and advance the play’s plot, all while reminding viewers of the ever-presence… read analysis of The Press

Minor Characters

Smiley Torres

Smiley Torres is a member of the 38th Street Gang. In fact, he is the gang’s cofounder, along with Henry. However, Smiley’s time in prison inspires him to leave California altogether, deciding to move with his wife and child to Arizona after he's released.

José Williams

José Williams is the man who’s murdered at the Williams’ Ranch near the Sleepy Lagoon. Although there’s no evidence to suggest that Henry and the rest of the 38th Street are responsible for José’s death, they are arrested for killing him.

Lupe

Lupe is Henry’s younger sister, and one of the people who hangs out with the 38th Street Gang. Like Henry and their brother, Rudy, she is quite concerned with the way she looks, wanting to dress in the style popular among young Chicanas in the 1940s.

Bertha

Bertha is Henry’s ex-girlfriend who bothers him at a dance party because he’s dancing with his new girlfriend, Della.

Cholo

Cholo is a member of the 38th Street Gang. He is with Rudy during the Zoot Suit Riots.

Zoot Suit

Luis Valdez

Zoot Suit Characters