Do The Right Thing, another ‘Spike Lee Joint’, tells the tale of racism in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn during the late 80’s. Each character tells their own story throughout the film, representing different parts of mainstream society at the time. The struggles that the characters face against themselves, each other, and society over the course of the film leads up to a riot at the end of the movie, leaving many people questioning “did they really do the right thing?” More importantly, the film has many underlying meanings that are represented through the characters and the music played throughout the film.
Mookie, the pizza delivery boy for Italian Sal’s long time pizzeria, holds some kind of relationship with every character. Buggin Out represents the outspoken, radical black man that will do anything to be heard. He complains to everyone and anyone that will listen to him. He stands for the loud voice that speaks out, but somehow always manages to go unheard. Radio Raheem, on the other hand, arguably the “quietest”, carries around a boom box that constantly plays “Fight the Power” everywhere he goes. He doesn’t say much, but he doesn’t need to. His music speaks for him. When Sal smashes the boom box, it symbolizes the loss of control in the community. This is when the riot, a quick solution to a long time problem, finally breaks out. When Radio Raheem dies, it confirms the defeat over any type of control whatsoever. His infamous Love/Hate knuckles stand for the fight between the two words and the actions that go along with those words. Another character along the lines of music is Mister Senior Love Daddy. He plays the local DJ and through this character we see community togetherness. Everyone listens to him, and the music he plays almost narrates the film. Sal, his family, and his Pizzeria are all viewed as the economic success of the Italian Americans in the community, except for the fact that the people in the community feel as if this franchise profits at their expense. The minorities in the city feel walked all over. Thus, creating rising racial tensions throughout the film. The Korean family is just a new race coming into the neighborhood trying to fit in and get by without causing too much of an uproar, even though it seems near impossible as person after person causes some sort of argument with them. The Mother-Sister character is portrayed as the woman of peace and doesn’t approve of the violence that she witnesses throughout the day. She even takes in Da Mayor at the end of the film. Da Mayor is the town drunk who is ridiculed in almost every scene he is in. Although he may come off as the character no one appreciates, he is the unspoken one who is actually one of the wisest men in the film. Each character brings a different aspect to the film and without even one of them, the cast of characters would not be well-rounded.
The song ‘Fight the Power’ opens up the movie with Rosie Perez dancing very passionately. The song continues playing throughout the film – a constant reminder of the inequality in the community that these people have all called their home for so many years. The song encourages these people to fight out against what they think is wrong and achieve respect and equality through whatever means possible. It’s no coincidence that this song plays during the riot at the end of the film, either. The song was written for this movie in particular, and no other song could have captured the essence of the film any better than ‘Fight the Power.’
Everything that happens in the film happens over the course of one day. The sweltering heat along with the continuous rising tension amongst the members of this community both lead up to one of the most memorable riot scenes in cinematic history. The symbols and metaphors throughout the film are controversial and leave audiences wondering if the right thing truly was done at the end of that day. Lee’s film is not one for people who are unsatisfied with the ‘what-if’ factor. The film raises questions, rather than answers them. “Do The Right Thing” encompasses what happens when the heat gets hotter, temperatures sky rocket, and people lose their cool.
My group was Rickie, Jeff, and Kayla. This was mainly my paper :).
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