Do The Right Thing - James Clarke

Rather than only identify one character from "Do The Right Thing", I feel like I can only fully analyze the story and their effect on it by looking at more than one. The reason for this would be that no character is fully the main navigator of the story. Each one is incomplete without the other. Not only is this also a reflection on their place in the community, but also their direct representation on society as a whole. Each class, race, gender, and age has a place within each other's roles in society.

To begin with, it would make sense that I start with the 'main' character. Mookie, played by director Spike Lee himself. Though he would seem at first to be one of the most level headed characters in the film, he is also one of the catalysts for the explosive climax of the film. Is this because he is a bad person? Absolutely not. His social and emotional unrest is clearly pushed to the limit and he acts rashly and (arguably) wrongly, but it is also understandable. He has a crappy job that he hates, he is undereducated, he isn't married, he has a small child, and he is going nowhere. The latter is enough to infuriate anyone my age. Not only is Mookie the sanity and glue that holds those around him together, but he is also a beacon of positivity to the rest of the community. This is all the more devastating when he snaps and throws the trash can through the store window.

The one character that I feel the worst for in this movie is definitely Sal. He and Mookie are caught in the middle of their seemingly separate places in society and life, trying to hold those around them together but going nowhere themselves. Sal's entire life is set on his business that he loves, and he hopes to turn that over to his sons one day. Not only is that touching, but it also shows that he is indeed invested in the community where the business is located. Once Sal breaks down it becomes clear that even though he doesn't feed on the stereotypes of races and class like his son and some of the other characters do, he definitely recognizes and retains them. It is really unfortunate though that he is pushed to that point. His downfall, as well as Mookie's downfall, is really heartbreaking because they seem the most level at the beginning of the film.

If there is one character in this film that bothers me more than any other, it is Buggin Out. If there was a foil to the ignorant and bigoted rednecks of the world, this would be it. The ignorant, poor, and under-informed oppressed guy. Not only do all of the other characters in the film (with the exception of Radio) tell him that he is full of it and needs to do something with his life besides complain, but his sole role in the film is that of the antagonist. Now the worst 'bad guy' in the film is clearly the cop that kills Radio, but I do not think that short part is the antagonist of the story itself. Society often feeds on the voices of those who are the loudest, and Buggin Out is definitely a voice to be heard in the community. He could be a voice for reason, but, like all of the other characters in this domino effect of a storyline, he does not do the right thing. His antagonizing Radio and Sal and the other characters is a key factor in the breakdown at the pizzeria.

While I don't think this movie might have had much effect on the election like Spike Lee might have hoped, I do think that his goal of raising questions is indeed accomplished. There is no clear solution in this film. The title, might be the only hint we have to one, but no one in the film lives up to it. The film and the characters within it, then, are merely reflections on society at the time. No one had done the right thing (yet). I'd like to think that enough people have now in present time, and I think Spike Lee might agree.