Solitary

This scene is really interesting. It shows Henry battling his demons up front. Unlike many of the confrontations Henry has had with El Pachuco, this one by far is the most intense. Here he even curses at El Pachuco, which in reality he is cursing at himself. I can relate to Henry here, and I think people in general can, because every time one messes up or is frustrated, one has the tendency to beat themselves up about it.

There are times when I love El Pachuco's motivation for "la raza", but here he totally pisses me off. I think he comes off as ignorant because he keeps trying to brainwash Henry into thinking George isn't there to help. The problem with Latinos, Mexicans in particular, has always been our pride. We hate being wrong and hate asking for help, yet we look for help at the last minute still in the most egotistic way. We think no one is there to help and we are left to fend for ourselves. This is what I've noticed in my family and in "Zoot Suit". While El Pachuco is denying the help George and Alice are offering, Henry Reyna knows deep inside he's going to need it. 

One of the most crucial set of stage direction is El Pachuco's snapping of the fingers: (A spot illuminates HENRY's family standing upstage; EL PACHUCO snaps it off.) found in page 77 and (HE snaps his fingers. Lights change. We hear the sounds of the city.) found on page 78. Each stage direction is used differently. The first one is used on Henry to get him to think clearer, instead of daydreaming about his family. The second one is used to change the scene from the hole that Henry is in to the scenery of Los Angeles. This being so, Valdez also uses these directions to suggest the same thing about El Pachuco, which is that he controls both the direction of Henry Reyna and the reader. It shows the great importance El Pachuco plays in "Zoot Suit". Without him, there would be no direction. Aside from being considered gangsters, zoot suiters were also considered leaders because they took a stand and decided to dress differently. El Pachuco, the Zoot-Suiter, is the leader of the play.

QUESTION: How different do you think "Zoot Suit" would have been if Valdez had excluded the character of EL PACHUCO?