English 103 Research Paper

Jasmine Hurtado
Dr. Vasileiou
ENG103


Realities of West Side Story

West Side Story, a film set in the late 1950s in New York City, is a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet. It is a love story between a caucasian male and a Puerto Rican immigrant. Maintaining a relationship was difficult because of their differences and the people around them. Violence and gang activities were also a main aspect of the film. Tony, one of the Jets, falls in love with Maria who is Bernardo's sister, the leader of the Sharks. Many problems arise because of the gang rivalries. Unfortunately, there were three deaths in the film. Riff, the leader of the Jets, and Bernardo are killed in a rumble. The film does not end on a positive note. Tony is shot and killed by one of the Sharks. Most of the film was filmed in Los Angeles so exterior scenes weren’t true to New York City. The opening sequence, however, was shot in Lincoln Center, New York.


The film’s portrayal of New York City was very similar to how it actually was. In the 1950s, tons of Puerto Ricans migrated to New York City, which was known as The Great Migration, not to be confused with the African American Great Migration that took place in the early 1900's. This actually happened to be the third wave of this migration, but by far the largest. By 1953, Puerto Rican migration to New York reached it's peak when 75,000 people left the island. Estimates are that more than one million Puerto Ricans migrated during the 1950s. The main areas in New York City that Puerto Ricans fled to were The Bronx, Brooklyn and East Harlem, which would later be known as Spanish Harlem for obvious reasons. By 1964, the Puerto Rican community made up 9.3 percent of the total New York City population. The New York Puerto Ricans, or "Nuyoricans", would borrow words from the english language and make it into "spanglish". ("Latino Education Network Service") In other words, english words were spoken with spanish pronunciations. It is a very improper way to speak but it showed their adaptation to a new country. The Puerto Rican characters in West Side Story seemed to know good english and their accents weren’t too strong. It makes sense to not give them such a strong accent because it is a movie where audiences need to understand what they were saying but there wasn’t a hint of "spanglish" in the film. (Perez y Gonzalez, and 118-19)


In West Side Story, the Puerto Ricans were not treated with respect, but instead like pieces of dirt, even by authorities. One of the officers, in reference to the Puerto Ricans, said, "Boy, oh boy. As if this neighborhood wasn't crummy enough." Just like the film, they weren't treated respectfully when they arrived to New York City. There were signs on restaurant doors that read, “No dogs or Puerto Ricans allowed”. It was tough because "...although they were U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans were seen as immigrants who wanted what rightfully belonged to white Americans----jobs, an education, housing and the American dream. This subjected Puerto Ricans to ostracism, prejudice, discrimination, and violence." (Perez y Gonzalez, and 118-19) It was a rather unfortunate situation. If you didn’t know any better, you would think Puerto Ricans were some type of aliens from outer space.


The Puerto Rican Nationalist Party was founded on September 17, 1922. The reason for starting this party was to gain independence. By 1950, there was an office located in New York City. On November 1st, 1950, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, two Puerto Rican nationalists, attempted to assassinate President Truman. They believed this would help Puerto Rico gain its independence quicker. ("Harry S. Truman Library and Museum")
In the 1950s, it was normal to have rumbles between rival gangs. The way these rumbles were set up was like the film. They would go to neutral locations or “turf” and the War Cousellor’s of each gang would set a time and place. ("West Side Story") In West Side Story, it was Doc's Candy Store. (Kendall) It all seems very accurate in the film, however, what they failed to show were African Americans. They received discrimination too and resided in the same cities as the Puerto Ricans but that wasn't shown in the film at all. (Greene, and Pranis 15-16) The only types of people the film showed were whites and Puerto Ricans, which isn't realistic.


The rent for apartments in the 1950s was about $293. By the 1960s it raised almost a full hundred dollars to $365. In 1957, the cost of living is as follows:


("Cost of Living in 1957")

The Puerto Rican characters in West Side Story were employed, so it wasn’t unrealistic for them to be able to survive without worrying about not having money to eat or live. They lived in slums. (United Nations Human Settlements Programme 71)
The film addressed an issue that was very true to what really happened in the 1950s. The Puerto Ricans were discussing Tony, the man who Maria fell in love with, and they said he had a job as a delivery boy. However, Chino, one of the Puerto Ricans, had a job as a delivery boy but he was paid only half of what Tony made, simply because one is an American and the other is considered an immigrant. From 1954 to 1965 the mayor of New York City was Robert F. Wagner. He welcomed any Puerto Rican to work. There were many cheap jobs for them to work. ("Latino Education Network Service")


West Side Story’s portrayal of New York seemed very accurate. There wasn’t anything in the movie that made you question if what happened was truly possible. Although some parts, like showing African Americans, were completely absent, it was still a realistic representation of New York City life in the 1950s.





Works Cited

"Cost of Living in 1957." Heartbeat's One and Two - 50's and 60's. Web. 2 Dec 2010. .

"Culture 60's." West Side Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2010. .

"FAQ: Assassination Attempt on President Truman's Life." Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec 2010. .

Greene, Judith, and Kevin Pranis. "Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Safety Strategies." Justice Policy Institute Report (2007): 15-16. Web. 30 Nov 2010. .

"History." Latino Education Network Service. LATINO/A EDUCATION NETWORK SERVICE, n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2010. .

Kendall, Paul. "50 years of West Side Story: the real Gangs of New York." Telegraph (2008): n. pag. Web. 30 Nov 2010. .

Perez y Gonzalez, Maria. Puerto Ricans in the United States . Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc., 2000. 118-19. Print.

United Nations Human Settlements Programme, First. The challenge of slums: global report on human settlements. London and Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publications, 2003. 71. Print.