Zoot Suit Sparknotes

Stephen Vivace

Dr. Rosetta Haynes

English 239

1 April 2016

Paper 3

The book Zoot Suit has multiple noteworthy examples throughout the play. The suit itself is a representation of fashion among the Chicano’s culture that was worn in a way that young people to express themselves with very little social or political voice. Originally the suit was as identified as a part of jazz and swing culture; unfortunately the suit became associated with the Chicano gangs. Besides the suit, the representative of the press played a huge portion of the Zoot Suit play. The press would write the articles in a way that the Suitor’s portrayed their image a criminal delinquents. Furthermore, almost every news article would be addressed with only using small selections from the actual story and investigation reports. That aside, El Pachuco himself represents Henry’s own reflection of the self-criticism and negative thoughts that the charter had to face during the play.

The suit can represent a simple fashion statement that was strong among the Chicano community. The suit transcended beyond just a fashion statement; it gave the youth at the time an opportunity to represent their political and social views. The Suitors made it a strong image of authority between the

Chicano community as well as a way to show the 38th street gang practically had a importance, without society telling them otherwise.
Before the Chicanos wore the suit as a statement, the Zoot Suit was originally more closely with the jazz and swing culture.
In the aftermath of the riots, the media focused mostly on the racial tension during the riots that contributed in Los Angeles in the early 40’s.

Even directing the investigation into the riots had been finished, where the media would spin the articles by having outside commentators write them. As numerous writers jumped on the bandwagon to start writing articles about the case, a frustrating problem emerged. Almost every critic would tell every story the same in almost every article in small selection, even in notes, and investigative reports to write their story in Sleepy Lagoon event. The media wanted to represent the Zoot Suitors in a category of criminal delinquent, and be fueled by their media representation as

such.
In the play Zoot Suit, Henry’s alter ego El Pachuco can be a mirror reflection of himself that symbolizes the self-criticism that one can impose on his own self. Although Henry knows he did not commit the Sleepy Lagoon murder crime, El Pachuco’s strong side continuously tells himself that his lawyer and the reporters will never have a chance to win the case. In summary, El Pachuco verbalizes, “ every time a thought is dropped from your own brain or mind, it swallows drops by drop and you even when its start counting.” 54. Where the reader finds out Henry’s alter ego, El Pachuco forces him to face his own path that he cannot live up to his own future. Finally we learn El Pachuco his self can represents Henrys negative thoughts and expectations of Henry.
Several times thought out Zoot Suit, there were people or objects that can represent something even deeper while reading the play. The Zoot Suit itself can represent more of an image of a strong fashion statement among the Chicano’s instead as a powerful picture in a way to show that they the gang was important. However, the media played a huge in the play especially during the Sleepy Lagoon murder case of stretching the actual story of what really happened at the time the murder happened. Zoot Suit cannot leave out the most important representation of Henry’s alter ego El Pachuco portraying a mirror reflection of his own undesirable thoughts and anticipation he cannot hold back.