Zoot Suit

The protagonist and leader of the 38th Street Gang, Henry represents both the historical Henry Leyvas and every young Chicano man who has become caught up in the racial politics of a biased justice system. Valdez describes him as “21, dark, Indian-looking, older than his years” (6). His friends often call him Hank. Henry is tough and rarely shies away from a conflict, even when it would be wise to do so. He is fiercely loyal to his family, protecting his brother Rudy from inclusion as a Sleep Lagoon defendant. Before his arrest, he was scheduled to report to the Navy. In jail, he exclaims to El Pachuco, “For the first time in my life I really thought Hank Reyna was going someplace” (11). Although he has had limited opportunities, Henry is a dreamer. He tells Della, “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had this feeling like there’s a big party going on someplace, and I’m invited, but I don’t know how to get there. And I want to get there so bad, I’ll even risk my life to make it” (41). 

Enrique is Henry, Lupe, and Rudy’s father and the patriarch of the Reyna family. Enrique works as a street sweeper. He is kind and proud of his children, but also commands their respect. Henry fought in the Mexican Revolution, and is pleased that Henry will follow in his footsteps by fighting with the Navy. He doesn’t like zoot suits, but allows his son to wear them while simultaneously demanding that his daughter, Lupe, wear modest, long skirts. Enrique urges his family to speak Spanish at home. When Henry is convicted in the first trial, he responds emotionally, telling Henry to, “Be a man, hijo [trans. son]” (50). When Della’s parents kick her out, Enrique and his wife, Dolores, take her in and treat her like a member of the family. As he advises Henry near the end of Act II, “If there’s one thing that will keep a man off the streets, it’s his own familia” (79). Enrique demonstrates his power and authority at the end of Act II, when Henry, fresh from prison, attempts to confront the officers who are trying to wrongfully arrest Joey. Enrique attempts to hold Henry back physically, and finally stops him by booming, “TE DIGO QUE NO! [trans. I’m telling you no]” (82).

Dolores is Henry, Lupe, and Rudy’s mother, and the matriarch of the Reyna family. Like her husband Enrique, Dolores does not like pachuco culture, zoot suits, or her children’s constant attendance at barrio dances. Unlike Enrique, however, Dolores expresses reservations about Henry’s joining the military. When Henry reminds her that she won’t have to worry about his zoot suit when he trades it in for Navy blues, Dolores responds, “Bendito sea Dios [trans. Blessed be God]. I still can’t believe you’re going off to war. I almost wish you were going back to jail” (15). Dolores is no-nonsense and speaks her mind, often humorously. With her husband, Enrique, she took Della in when Della had nowhere to go and treated her like family. At the end of the play, Dolores pushes Henry to marry Della and stay at home in the barrio. 

Lupe is Henry’s younger sister and a pachuca. With her short skirt, she tries to break away from her parents’ conservatism and questions them when they have different rules for her than for her brothers. Lupe dances and socializes with the 38th Street Gang, but at their father’s wishes, needles Henry for not keeping Rudy sober on the Saturday night dance at Sleepy Lagoon. Like her mother, Lupe speaks her mind. She is dating Tommy Roberts, a white member of the 38th Street Gang who is one of the co-defendants in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial. Lupe enjoys a taste of glamor at a gala fundraiser for the defense fund. As Alice describes, “Rita Hayworth lent your sister Lupe a ball gown for the occasion. She got dressed at Cecil B. DeMille’s house, and she looked terrific. Her escort was Anthony Quin” (69). Lupe loves her brothers and is devoted to her family, but has no qualms about teasing them and their friends. 

As a pachuco, Rudy has lived in the shadow of his older brother Henry. Rudy is a member of the 38th Street Gang, and often causes trouble for Henry, especially while drinking, by stirring up conflict in which Henry intervenes. Rudy can’t afford a nice zoot suit, but Henry promises that he can have his once he joins the Navy. Rudy begins wearing Henry’s suit while Henry is in prison. On the night of the Sleepy Lagoon murder, Rudy escapes when the detectives arrest the gang, and Henry warns his cohort to stay silent on the fact that Rudy was there, fighting with the rest of them. Without his brother to protect him, Rudy falls prey to the military servicemen who are perpetuating the zoot suit riots, and is humiliated when they beat him, strip him of his zoot suit, and leave him naked in the street. He even tells Henry that he wishes he had been in prison instead. Although he sometimes behaves recklessly, Rudy looks up to his older brother. Rudy joins the Marines, and tries to get his friends and family to view him as a man rather than Henry’s little brother.

Valdez describes George as “a middle-aged lawyer, strong and athletic, but with the slightly frazzled look of a people’s lawyer” (22). Heavily invested in the defense of those indicted for the Sleepy Lagoon murder, George has devoted his career to helping the downtrodden. He reveals, “The first murder case I ever tried, and won incidentally, was for a Filipino. I was paid exactly three dollars and fifty cents plus a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes, and a note for a thousand dollars – never redeemed” (24). Although the gang is leery at first, he gains their trust and friendship. George staunchly confronts the judge in the first trial for his unfair and biased treatment of the defendants. George ultimately has to leave the defense team when he is drafted but returns to celebrate with the family when Henry and his friends are acquitted.  

Alice, twenty-six, is a reporter who becomes involved in the Sleepy Lagoon defense team. When questioning Lieutenant Edwards about the arrest, she brings up racial bias by asking Edwards if the Chicano youth don’t frequent Sleepy Lagoon because “they’re not allowed to swim in the local public plunges” (20). Alice reassures Henry, she’s “from the progressive press” (32). She pilots and edits a bi-monthly newsletter for the incarcerated Sleepy Lagoon defendants to keep them apprised of their growing defense. Alice becomes emotionally involved in the case, feeling impassioned, as a Jewish woman during World War II, by the plight of the oppressed. She falls in love with Henry, but their relationship falls apart when Henry, emancipated from prison, returns to his girlfriend, Della. When Henry is confronted with the decision to stay with Alice or Della, Alice selflessly encourages him to choose Della because she waited for him. 

Henry’s girlfriend, Della, accompanies him on the night of the Sleepy Lagoon incident. Della is seventeen, and “dressed more modestly” (15) than Lupe as they prepare to go out. However, this is likely due to her strict father, who often treats her “like a nun” (15). She is pretty and sweet, contrasting Henry’s last girlfriend, Bertha. When called to testify, Della admits that she and Henry were at Sleepy Lagoon, where Henry asked her to marry him when he returned from the war. That night, she tends to Henry when he’s injured and tries to stop him from fighting. After her testimony, the judge unexpectedly remands her to a year at a reform school for girls. Although Della seems gentle, she is also tough. When the prosecution begins to twist her words and ask leading questions, she refuses to answer. After Della is released from the reformatory, she chooses to wait for Henry even though her parents kick her out for it. Upon discovering that Henry has also fallen in love with Alice, Della tells him, “I don’t need anybody to feel sorry for me. I did what I did because I wanted to. All I want to know is what’s going to happen now. If you still want me, órale, suave [trans. all right, fine]. If you don’t, that’s okay, too” (78).

A co-defendant in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial, Smiley, twenty-three, is a member of the 38th Street Gang, which he cofounded with Henry. Smiley has a wife, Elena Torres, and a child, and often becomes exasperated with the younger members of the gang. He follows Henry loyally, even after he starts a family. Smiley is also proud, and refuses to allow his wife to fundraise for his defense, calling it begging. At the end of the play, Smiley announces his plans to move to Arizona with his family, explaining, “There’s no future for us in this town” (79).

A co-defendant in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial, Joey is a member of the 38th Street Gang. He is only seventeen and often acts immaturely, posturing as “the toughest gang in town” (21) and wrestling with his friends. During the trial, Henry has to push Joey to sit up and remain still. On the night of the Sleepy Lagoon incident, it is Joey who suggests that the gang should crash the party at the Williams home. He calls Alice “grandma,” although she’s only about ten years older than him. Before entering prison, he is dating Bertha, Henry’s ex-girlfriend. When he gets out, he fights with Rudy, who has begun dating Bertha in his absence. 

A co-defendant in the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial, Tommy, nineteen, is a member of the 38th Street Gang. Unlike the rest of the gang, Tommy is white. Tommy writes to Alice from prison, explaining that even though he is Anglo, he expects to be treated like his fellow defendants. He asserts, “I grew up right alongside most of these batos, and I’m a pachuco too” (54). When corresponding with Alice, he expresses embarrassment for his limited vocabulary. Like Joey, Tommy also often acts immaturely. He is dating Henry’s sister, Lupe. 

Elena is Smiley’s wife and the mother of his child. On the night of the Sleepy Lagoon incident, Smiley dances with Elena at the party. According to Smiley, Elena is uncomfortable fundraising door-to-door, but too shy to tell Alice. 

Bertha is Henry’s ex-girlfriend, and Henry’s family prefers Della. Enrique refers to her as “the one with the tattoo” (16). Bertha is “cool and tough” (27) and responds bitterly when she asks Henry to dance and he chooses to stay with Della. She tells him, “You got no hold on me, cabrón. Not any more. I’m as free as a bird,” mocking, “Since he joined the Navy, this bato forgot the difference between being cool and being cool-O” (27). Before he is indicted, she is dating Joey but while he is in prison, she begins to date Rudy. Bertha criticizes Henry for backing down instead of fighting members of the Downey Gang for scuffling with Rudy.

Rafas is the leader of the Downey Gang, and is always eager for a fight. When he sees Henry or the rest of the 38th Street Gang, he provokes violence. 

Cholo is a member of the Downey Gang. However, when the zoot suit riots occur, he stands with Rudy to defend Bertha and Lupe from the advances of sailors who are attempting to pick them up. 

Zooter is a member of the Downey Gang. Unlike Cholo, he runs away with his girlfriend,Little Blue, rather than coming to Bertha and Lupe’s defensewhen the sailors try to pick them up during the zoot suit riots.

Ragman, Hobo, Hoba, and Blondieare all members of the Downey Gang. They back Rafas when he fights with Henry and the 38th Street Gang.

Güera is the girlfriend of Rafas, the Downey Gang leader. When Henry declines to fight with Rafas and tells him to “get out of here” (29), Güera urges Rafas to leave. Little Blue is the girlfriend of Zooter, a member of the Downey Street Gang.

Edwards is one of the arresting officers in the Sleepy Lagoon incident, along with his partner Sergeant Smith. Edwards speaks to the press and poses for photos. Edwards was the first officer to arrest Henry in 1939, when he accused Henry of stealing a car that turned out to belong to Enrique. Edwards dangles Henry’s enrollment in the Navy as a prize, promising that if Henry gives a statement, Edwards will make it possible for him to enlist. Edwards asserts that the murder occurred because “slums breed crime” (20). Although he tells Henry and the reporters that Henry had the potential to be a great leader, he also says of Henry, “You can’t change the spots on a leopard” (20). 

Sergeant Smith is one of the arresting officers in the Sleepy Lagoon incident, along with his partner, Lieutenant Edwards. Smith is the bad cop to Edwards’s good cop. While Edwards promises Henry rewards for talking, Smith insults him, threatens him, calls him a liar, and loses his temper, beating a handcuffed Henry unconscious with a rubber sap. Smith tells Edwards, “Forget it lieutenant. You can’t treat these animals like people” (13).

Since the media played such a large role in the instigation of the Zoot Suit Riots, the Press appears as a physical manifestation of those media outlets. He functions as a narrator that is antithetical to El Pachuco’s narration, telling the biased story of the white media. The Press also serves as the prosecutor in the first Sleepy Lagoon murder trial, implying that the group had already been convicted by the media and the court of public opinion before entering an actual courtroom. As a prosecutor, the Press asks Della leading questions that presume the guilt of Henry and the other defendants. He also brings out a series of weapons, none of which are actual evidence from the scene. This urges the jury to buy into the sensationalism around the case rather than interrogating the evidence. The role of the Press in Zoot Suit illustrates the power of words to shape public opinion. Naming the fights surrounding the trial as the “Zoot Suit Riots” places culpability on the pachucos. Referring to the zoot-suiters as “goons” and “baby gangsters” dehumanizes them and makes them seem more threatening.

The Cub Reporter works as an agent of The Press. He takes photos and participates in press conferences. During an interview with Edwards, The Press asks, “What’s the real scoop on the Sleepy Lagoon? Sex, violence…” and the Cub Reporter adds, “marijuana?” (19). These statements place lurid details into the story that aren’t actually evident. 

The Newsboy works as an agent of The Press. His job is to spread the news and sell newspapers. Through the process of the media, information is distorted through The Press and then warped once again by the Newsboy, who shouts condensed versions of headlines.

Judge F.W. Charles presides over the first Sleepy Lagoon murder trial. He displays a prejudice that borders on farce, ignoring George’s requests to eliminate bias as much as possible in the courtroom. The judge orders that the defendants can’t cut their hair or wear clean clothes. They must stand when their name is stated, even if standing implies an admission of guilt. The judge is flippant and sarcastic. He sits on a throne made out of newspapers, implying that the media has already led him to believe that the defendants are guilty. He allows The Press to serve as the prosecutor and to abuse witnesses. Over the course of the trial, George cites over a hundred cases of misconduct, which helps lead to their successful appeal. 

The bailiff functions within the courtroom to announce the details of the case and escort witnesses. When the defendants are convicted, he leads them away in handcuffs. 

The Guard serves as the face of the prison. He calls Henry and the gang by their numbers rather than their names. Although Smiley refers to a censor who peruses their correspondence before the inmates receive it, while Henry is in solitary, the Guard reads Alice’s letters. He seems to enjoy his control over the inmates, and calls Henry and his friends “greaseballs.” The Guard provokes Henry by pushing him and then puts him in solitary when Henry pushes back. While Henry is in solitary, the Guard reads Alice’s letters, offering sarcastic commentary. 

The sailors and Marines attend dances and parties with the 38th Street Gang and the Downey Gang. When the police arrive, they ignore the servicemen and arrest the pachucos. When the Zoot Suit riots begin, the sailors and Marines become dangerous, attacking and fighting with Mexican-American youths. They gang up on El Pachuco and strip him of his zoot suit, egged on by The Press. Rudy also describes a group of sailors and Marines who also beat him and forcibly removed his suit. In Act II, Scene 8,“The Winning of the War,” the servicemen appear marching in drill formation to the sounds of bombs and artillery fire. Rudy joins them as his family watches.

Swabbie is an American sailor who attends dances and parties with the pachucos. On the night that Henry and his friends are arrested for murder, the detectives catch Swabbie and his girlfriend, Manchuka, too, but Sgt. Smith allows him to leave. This means that later in the play, when Swabbie participates in the attack on El Pachuco, he should know what occurred that night.

Manchuka, a Japanese-American dancer, is Swabbie’s girlfriend. She attends dances and parties with Swabbie, and when the detectives arrest the 38th Street Gang for murder, Sgt. Smith allows Swabbie to take her and leave.

The Shore Patrolman is a Navy serviceman whose job is to act as security for sailors while they are on shore leave. In Act II, Scene 6,“Zoot Suit Riots,” when Cholo, a Downey Gang member, defends Bertha and Lupe from the advances of some of the sailors, “the sailors complain to the Shore Patrol, who throws Cholo out the door” (66). Since the sailors only get into the spat because they are participating in illegal activities by purchasing sex workers, this incident shows that the Shore Patrolman is heavily biased toward the sailors.