Critique Of Prejudice And Racism In Zoot Suit By Luis Valdez
As of 2017, there were more than 44.5 million immigrants living in the United States. Every year, more immigrants come to America in hopes of a better future. They come from countries that cannot provide basic resources to their citizens. The play Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez highlights the troubles immigrants of Mexican descent faced as they resided in America during the 1940’s Sleepy Lagoon Murder case. Even in present-day America, immigration is still a topic not all have come to an agreement on. The current president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has accentuated the line of division between those who are pro and against immigration, prompting more Americans to take sides. In the play Zoot Suit, the author’s claim is that prejudices and racism ingrained in American minds is what led to the oppression of the individuals involved in the Sleepy Lagoon Murder case; his aim is to expose the falsehood of these stereotypes through the use of credibility, target at emotions, and logical reasoning. The aim of this play in today’s border wall debate would be to convince border-supporting individuals that immigrants are not always the criminals society possess them to be.
In the play Zoot Suit, the murder case of The Sleepy Lagoon is reenacted. Henry Reyna is the main character in this play. He is part of the 38th Street gang which is composed of mostly Mexicans. One night he is at a party which leads to a standoff with a rival gang. Later on that night, Henry Reyna and his girlfriend go to a lake where they once again encounter the Downey gang. They plan unite each of their members to have a fight but the Downey gang does not show up. The 38th Street gang decides to go to a party nearby. The next morning, a body was found and the boys from the 38th Street gang are potential suspects. Due to their race, they face many disadvantages which leads to their conviction. They are convicted with the murder and placed in jail for life. Many people from minority groups joined together to fight off the injustice committed toward these boys and were successful in appealing the judge’s order. The 38th Street gang boys were finally released.
Firstly, Valdez incorporates credibility in his play to shut down any accusations of exaggerating the treatment of immigrants. Zoot Suit is a play based on a real court case: The Sleepy Lagoon Murder case. On the morning of August 2, 1942 the body of Jose Diaz was found near a reservoir in Los Angeles, California. The previous night, a fight lead by the 38th Street gang, which was composed of Mexicans, had taken place in a nearby location. This influenced local police to arrest 600 Mexican-Americans, 22 went to trial. The judge possessed negative prejudgements about immigrants and therefore found five boys guilty. Using a real court case allows the play to be nonfiction. Even though some may arise to claim Valdez was inflating the mistreatment of immigrants, real court documents credit his play. Minor details may have been altered but the play overall simply retells the story of an event that actually took place in the United States. Valdez also being a child of immigrant parents adds on to his credibility as an author who advocated for respect toward immigrants. He was able to experience the hate and unfairness his parents had to face because they were not born in America. Even Valdez himself might have been a victim of discrimination because of his ethnicity. Writing Zoot Suit could have been Valdez telling his testimony on similar struggles he faced on a daily basis.
Also, Valdez uses pathos to inspire empathy toward the boys who were accused of murder. The play includes a distinguishable character, El Pachuco, who plays the role of narrator and friend to the main character Henry Reyna. At times, El Pachuco breaks into songs in the Calo language that relate to the ongoing events. Utilizing a specific type of language humanizes immigrants by demonstrating to readers that just as they value certain aspects of their backgrounds, individuals like Henry Reyna also have a culture they appreciate. Rather than seeing immigrants as intruders in America, they could be seen as people just like any other citizen. The main character, Henry Reyna is present in many situations that would help readers better understand the situations immigrants face. While in jail, Henry declares to his fellow members that he was ready to enlist in the Navy.
Although they try to discourage him, Henry persists with his dream. After a while, Henry realizes that the accusation he is being charged with is much greater than the regular accusations cops have tried to guilt him of in the past. Henry admits “for the first time in my life I really thought Hank Reyna was going someplace”. In this case, there is an individual who was seen as no longer having a future; however, he actually wants to make something of himself. Society has already categorized Henry as being a gang-member who is more likely to commit a crime rather than change for the better. Henry tries to get out of the hole he is in but now it is difficult because nobody is willing to lend him a helping hand. People do not expect him to change so they assume he does not want to change. The reader is able to reflect back on situations where they have belittled others based on their past and not given others a chance to change. The entire construction of immigrant stereotypes slowly begins to fall down because now people are presented with a different point of view and see immigrants in a better light. Thirdly, logical reasoning is used to demonstrate the prosecutor’s weak arguments during the trial which proves the case was not based on solid evidence. The boys’ lawyer brings up an issue to the judge regarding the right to clean clothes and haircuts that were deprived from them. The press states “their appearance is distinctive...essential to the case”. Arguments are not always based on clear facts, as they should be. When a person finds it difficult to convince others about something, they turn to the use of logical fallacies. A logical fallacy is an error in reasoning used to prove a point.
The press used the logical fallacy ad hominem which is personal attacks toward a person. The press could not find solid evidence like blood samples, witnesses or fingerprints to prove the boys had murdered Jose Diaz. Instead, the press found the appearance of the boys as evidence to prove their point. Before their eyes, immigrants were dirty being responsible for the crime in America. Literally having the boys look dirty with disheveled hair allowed the judge to see them in a similar manner. With this intention in mind, the press objected to the boys being provided with clean clothes and haircuts. At the end of the trial, each side is supposed to present a final speech to convince the judge and the jury why their side of the case is correct. The press continued to base their case on fake judgments by using genetic fallacy. Genetic fallacy is when a claim is presented as true based on a stereotype of certain groups. The press suggested “the specific details of this murder are irrelevant before the overwhelming danger of the pachuco in our midst”. Clearly, the press was still not focusing on each boy in detail. The happenings of the murder case did not have an effect on the final verdict. The press generalized all Mexicans as criminals. Therefore, the boys being of Mexican descent were guilty of murder because it was naturally in their genes. Valdez secured these details within the play to highlight how foolish the argument against the boys was. Readers unaware of logical fallacies might have given in to this way of thinking but after clarifying that all arguments were false statements, the reader would be able to reevaluate each claim.
The United States is a country well-known for its economic advancement and opportunities for economic growth. Due to this, many people who reside in developing countries migrate to America for a better lifestyle. The president of the United States, Donald J. Trump won people’s vote because of his strong anti-immigration beliefs. He promised Americans to build a wall on the country's southern border. The goal for this wall was to keep out immigrants fleeing Latin American countries. For the most part, Republicans favor this wall and are against immigration. The opposing side, Democrats, are against the construction of the wall and pro-immigration. Republicans do not comply with allowing foreigners to migrate into America. Nationalism is a major factor conducting their opinion since they claim to care about the security of America. Republicans insist “migrants may be a vehicle that facilitates the travelling of terrorism across countries”. Although some people may want to come to the United States to terrorize the country, it is very difficult. The proceedings of allowing foreigners into the United States are very extensive. It requires multiple background checks, questioning and evidentiary support as to the intentions of their coming. Since the process of allowing foreigners into the United States is very strict, the system even makes it difficult for people with good intentions to enter. Also, many immigrants come to the United States from countries where they face oppression. Once they arrive to America, they are glad to be safe and have their freedom. These people are more likely to be faithful to the country that has been good to them rather than conspire against America and risk being deported to a country where they do not feel secure.
On the opposite side, Democrats tend to welcome foreigners into the United States because they feel the need to keep immigrants safe. Immigrants are people who were desperate to come to America. Their living situations were very undesirable back in their home country so they risked it all to come to the United States. Since the American government wants to prevent a surplus of foreigners from entering, they make it more difficult for people to sneak into the United States. Methods to keep foreigners away make the trip to the United States more dangerous. Even after setting foot on American soil, foreigners have the fear of being caught by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. When individuals fall into the hands of ICE, they are detained and taken to jail. Trump had imposed the Zero Tolerance policy which separated immigrant children from their parents. The children were placed in detention centers where they faced neglect and lack of parental affection. This led to “children’s traumatic experiences during pre-immigration and migration”. The security that America has imposed is costing society the wellbeing of kids. Kids who are separated from their parents because they were in search of a better future should not have to suffer the consequences. Many of these kids could become something great in life and flourish in the American society but traumatic experiences might deter them from achieving greater goals. In receiving immigrants, the American government could protect children and their future.
In addition, allowing immigrants could enhance the American economy which would benefit its citizens. The economic health of a country is determined by how much they produce compared to other countries. Gross domestic product is the measurement of this production. GDP is formed through the combination of two curves: supply and demand. Supply is how much output there is and demand is how much people buy. Currently, America is operating at full employment, meaning it has reached the maximum amount of production it can give to society. The only factor that would allow for the expansion of the economy past full employment would be innovations that bring a complete change to the market or more people being employed. The unemployment rate is very low in America so the workforce cannot count with too many extra employees. Integrating immigrants into the workforce would “expand the amount of output America is able to produce”. Not only would the expansion of the economy give a leverage to America in competing with other countries, but also help the economic status of citizens. When more products are produced, they could be sold to foreign countries and citizens are able to consume more products for a lower price due to the abundance.
All in all, immigrants are individuals seeking the help of America while contributing to the wellbeing of the country. Even after facing large amounts of discrimination, immigrants still try to thrive in the American society. Valdez emphasizes the challenges immigrants have to face because it is still an ongoing problem. Obviously there are downsides to allowing immigrants into America but the benefits outweigh them. As America allows itself to embrace the idea of immigrants, it will help itself grow. Growth will be reflected on American values and throughout the economy.
