The movie, " Do the Right Thing", by Spike Lee is a hard
hitting drama that deals with violence and racism in
today's society. This film is set in a primarily black
neighborhood in close to the present time. Right in the
center of this neighborhood stands a pizza parlor that is
owned and operated by one of the most important characters
in the movie, Sal.
In the beginning of the movie, Sal is shown arriving to
work with his two sons Pino and Vito. Right from the start
Sal is portrayed as a hard working, kind, and devoted
individual. Just the fact that he owns his own business in
these rough and tough times shows that he is a smart,
efficient, and dedicated man. Later in the movie we learn
that Sal did in fact build his pizzeria by himself from the
ground up, brick by brick, and board by board. The fact
that Sal gets to share his creation and hard work with his
sons makes it all the more special to him.
After Sal has finished his pre-opening preparations Sal's
Pizzeria is open for the day. Shortly after this, the main
character of the movie, Mookie, comes strolling into the
restaurant. Mookie works as the delivery man for Sal,
however, more important than that, he also acts as a
mediator between the two races. Sal relies on Mookie not
only to get the pizzas delivered, but also to keep his
fellow black folks happy with Sal so they will come and
patronize his restaurant. This reveals a very different
side of Sal and introduces the racist element of the story.
On the one hand he can put on a happy face and greet all
the black people as they dole their hard earned money out
to him for his pizza, while on the other hand he turns into
a bigot, hating most black people and ta ...