Spike Lee plays the main character in his own movie, Mookie. Mookie seems to be the most ideal character of the movie (besides his sister maybe) because he works for Sal and doesn't seem to have a problem with him being Italian. He even seems to be friends with Sal's younger son and tries to help him stand up to his older brother who picks on him and bullies him all the time. His dislike for Pino doesn't stem from a racial problem but only for the way he treats his brother. Even though he works for the Italian family, Mookie still has his ties to and his black friends in the neighborhood. He tries to keep the peace between everyone, almost like a mediator between the two groups, especially Sal and Buggin Out who tries to boycott Sal's place just because he doesn't have pictures of black leaders on his wall.
The film's title, Do the Right Thing, refers to the decision that Mookie makes in the end. When the fight between Sal and Radio Raheem ends with the cops killing Radio, the crowd is angered and seems to blame Sal for his death, even though it was the cops who killed him. Mookie, as the silent onlooker, decides to throw a trashcan through the window of the pizza shop to turn the crowd's anger towards destroying the property instead of Sal himself. At first, I questioned why he did that and why he would start a riot, but he did it to save Sal and his family and he probably didn't realize the effect it was going to have or how out of control everyone was going to get. Even Sal seems to forgive him the next day and they reconcile when he goes to get paid.
Mookie seems to value money more than anything and it might even be the reason why he stays out of trouble and doesn't discriminate against the Italians. It's almost as if him and Sal have the same goals in life: Sal built the pizzeria with his own hands and that's his place; Mookie wants to make money to be able to do something with his life, almost as if he's striving towards what Sal has already done with his life. This could be the link between the bond or understanding they seem to share. Sal even tells him he will always have a job there and that he's been like a son to him.
Good stuff, Jessica. I think your interpretation of Mookie's actions at the end is interesting and plausible. Not as sure about your generosity regarding Mookie's aspirations, though. He is focused on the cash, for sure. But I think it's a bit unclear about his goals. Frankly, he seems a bit directionless, maybe a step ahead of some of the other young people in the neighborhood. But, as Sal points out in the final scene, he's not making a lot and it won't really go far. What are his goals, I wonder?
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