Do The Right Thing Sparknotes

Analysis of Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee is harsh criticism of the rising racial tensions in a multicultural neighborhood. From the American-Italian pizzeria to the Korean-owned corner store, to the African American and Latino residents, racial undertones are asserted in nearly every interaction. Throughout the movie, the theme of racial tension is exploited by Lee’s use of character types, perspective, patterns, and viewer expectations.
From the introductory scene, Lee is making a strong statement in his choice of music and Rosie Perez’s dancing and boxing. This introduction induces the viewer to ask why he chose this black anthem, and what Rosie’s fighting means. The viewer will begin forming expectations

of the movie around this beginning scene, starting with the assumption that the movie will be focusing on “fighting the power” as Public Enemy’s song says. The presumption is that this fight will be against discrimination and oppression, as that’s what the song is implying. With this scene, you also build an expectation of what Rosie’s character will be like. Despite the low lighting, her clothes, hair, makeup, and accessories tell us that she’s Latina, and we begin building expectations off of that. Specifically assumptions about her home life, her relationships with others, and what kind of oppression she may be facing throughout the film. Perhaps she is a protagonist in the film, who is fighting the discrimination she faces? However, these expectations are eliminated as the film progresses and the viewer realises she actually doesn’t have a large part in the film. Instead, it is misleading as the film actually revolves more around African American racial tensions in a multicultural neighborhood. However, this introductory scene sets up the emotions for the rest of the movie, which revolves directly around racial tensions.
The next scene that can be analyzed is Buggin’ Out’s engagement with Sal, the owner of the neighborhood pizzeria.

The scene starts with Buggin’ Out complaining that there isn’t enough cheese on his slice of pizza. Here we can start developing a sense of perspective, and empathize with Buggin’ Out, whose simple request is more cheese on his pizza. To most people, this seems a reasonable request, and we can easily relate. However, Sal’s response is to tell him extra cheese is two dollars, more than doubling the price of the pizza slice. By this point the viewer has developed a connection with Buggin’ Out, who is, in our perspective, the victim in this situation. Later, as Buggin’ Out sits down, he realizes there are no people of color on Sal’s “Wall of Fame,” and is greatly offended. The camera establishes a pattern, of at first cutting between Buggin’ Out and pictures on the wall, until the progression becomes more rapid and of just the pictures. We are again able to sympathise with Buggin’ Out as he asks first his friend Mookie, and then Sal why there are no colored people on the wall. Again, Sal’s response is automatically defensive, and this time racist. Instead of taking a suggestion from his customer, he takes a firm stance that if Buggin’ Out has a problem with it he should find a new establishment. At this point Buggin’ out is furious, and begins to demand that all the black folk in the restaurant boycott it. This further establishes our connection with him as the victim of the racial discrimination he is facing by Sal, and Italian-American. Despite his mostly peaceful protests, he is kicked out of the restaurant for simply asking for Sal to have more representation on his Wall of

Fame.
In the movie Do the Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, we can explore the theme of racial tensions in a suburban neighborhood through his use of perspective, character types, patterns, and viewer expectations. As I analyzed, his use of character typing and viewer expectations in the opening scene mislead viewers as to what the movie was about. And in a later scene where and African American man simply asks for cheese on his pizza and is discriminated against by an Italian-American, Lee’s use of patterns and perspective enhance our emotions in response to the scene. In conclusion, Spike Lee’s use of film form exploits the racial tensions in a suburban neighborhood in Do the Right Thing.