Zoot Suit

Zoot Suit, a play written by Luis Valdez, depicts the racially charged trial of the Sleepy Lagoon Case of 1942 in which the courts charged a group of Pachucos with the murder of another Mexican-American. During the 1940s, many Mexican-Americans suffered widespread discrimination as dramatized in Zoot Suit. To combat such discrimination many Chicano youth wore stylized zoot suits, adorned with oversized jackets during fabric shortages as a form of social and political rebellion. Zoot Suiters felt disempowered by their position within society and used their fashion to send out a message and as a means to regain their masculinity. The Pachucos were accused with the murder of a fellow Mexican-American not because of clear evidence or proof, but because of their ethnic identity, renegade style of dressing, and behavior. The fundamental conflict that led to their arrest and unfair trial was a clash between Mexican-Americans and the dominant White American culture. Acting as a host, El Pachuco is the spirit of the ideal, defiant Pachuco and serves as Henry’s Reyna’s alter ego throughout the play, intermingling past Mexican culture with the current Zoot Suit culture. El Pachuco serves as a corrective to illustrate the heavy biases that the court and media displayed throughout the 1940s against Chicano people. Through his constant interjections during the courtroom scene, and his final confrontation with the reporter at the conclusion of the play he points out the injustices that Mexican-Americans had to endure.

El Pachuco highlights each point in which the court discriminates or treats the Zoot Suiters unfairly. His presence in this scene is pivotal for educating the audience about the prejudice and misrepresentation of Mexica...

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...types of the Zoot Suit trend. Without El Pachuco’s presence in these scenes, the clarity of the issues would not have been put in the forefront of the play. Zoot Suit is a political play designed to display the Chicano struggle against oppression and injustice. Although Zoot Suit reaches back to a historical event for Mexican-Americans, the play concerns all ethnic minorities in America. The Zoot Suit is a historical image that embodies a form of agency imbued with political power and rebellion for Chicanos and Chicanas alike. This play is counteractive to the prejudice and misrepresentation of Zoot Suiters of the time and is a tool for historical education. Not only does this play educate those who were unable to bear witness to such discrimination, but it also displays the ways in which counterculture can be powerful and makes changes in society.