In Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez, the zoot suit has many obvious and understated meanings. The zoot suit is an ostentatious outfit worn by many Chicano gangsters in order to be recognized by the police and the population of Los Angeles. The boys' family members believe that the Zoot costume symbolizes insubordination, while the police and press view it as delinquency. The boys of the Thirty-Eighth Street Gang, who admire zoot suits, view the zoot suit as power. In the play, opinions clash as to whether Zoot's costume represents power or delinquency. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The zoot suit helps many Chicano boys in the Thirty-Eighth Street Gang identify with the other boys as they face discrimination and aggression from the Downey Gang and police officers. At the beginning of the play, El Pachuco, who is Henry Reyna's alter ego, expresses his appreciation and passion for the zoot suit. He describes donning a zoot suit: “…gives the Chicancos the impression that the real root is like a diamond, sparkling, brilliant…” (Valdez 1.1.3). Rather than hiding, El Pachuco appears as if he were a radiant jewel that everyone can admire because he dresses stylishly and must therefore command respect. The zoot suit gives the boys the confidence and boldness to gain the esteem of their peers and the Downey Gang, a rival group. The boys use the Zoot costume as a uniform symbolizing the ideology of a group of individuals fighting for a common goal which was Chicano pride. Even more so, El Pachuco, who wears the Zoot costume, embodies the Chicano spirit as he reminds Henry Reyna not to hesitate in trying to gain the respect of the police. Ultimately, El Pachuco states that he is: "...the ideal of the original chuco was to look like a diamond in order to look like a pointy-hipped bonarro" (Valdez 2.6.16). Therefore, the boys view Pachuco as a true symbol of what they are fighting for. Boys feel more formidable when other boys don the zoot suit because it gives a feeling of brotherhood and community. As a pack, the boys feel comforted by numbers but with the zoot suit, the boys feel invincible. In the eyes of the police and the press, the zoot suit is seen as a symbol of misconduct and malevolence. After the police break up the barrio dance and Sergeant Smith arrests Henry and the rest of the boys who are the main culprits in the Sleep Lagoon murder case, Smith questions the boys and sarcastically comments, "you pachucos, you are ordinary tough guys” (Valdez 1.3. 1). By sarcastically insulting the boys for being a bunch of toughs, Smith is actually calling the boys weak and therefore views the zoot suit as powerless and only a symbol of rebellion. Sergeant Smith believes the zoot suit is simply ostentatious clothing that makes boys a target for discrimination. He goes further and says: “I heard that you pashas wear these monkey costumes as a kind of armor. Is this true? How does it work? That's what you zooters need - a little old-fashioned discipline" (Valdez 1.4.41). Smith again uses profanity instead of properly addressing the boys. "Zooter" means that Smith avoids the zoot suit altogether and thinks it's so ridiculous for boys to wear them. He even goes so far as to question the powers..