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West Side Story Anaylsis

As a contemporary musical, West Side Story differs from Romeo and Juliet in form and detail, but stays true to the tragedy of innocent love caught in a complex social web that predestines its demise. In West Side Story, love at first sight between Tony and Maria set off a tragic chain of events which bring the story to its heartbreaking conclusion. Maria is Puerto Rican, Tony, Polish-American; they are young, innocent, rebellious-indifferent to the societal boundaries which they are trespassing. Like Romeo and Juliet, love is all that matters to.

Inevitably, social reality intrudes upon the inter-racial lovers’ idealized world. Instead of the warring Montagues and Capulets, West Side Story revolves around two street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. At this point in time, the impoverished white immigrant culture, which Tony represents, is being hreatened by the influx of new immigrant populations, especially the Puerto Ricans, who are beginning new lives in America. The young street gangs that arise from these ghettos demonstrate their frustrations and tensions through turf wars and street fights. Tony is a member of the Jets, the American gang. Maria's brother, Bernardo, and her Puerto Ri

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This power started to become unclear and this made them mad. ” This is what the story was all about.

West Side Story is a prime example of social mobility. Each gang has a social deinfed positon or each gang has its own individual interests and thoughts. Or these reasons the gangs are at war and one day will have find a common bond like Maria and Tony did in themselves. The hatred must first exit the the gangs minds before the discrimination and fighting stops. Tony was shot because of his love affair with a women outside of his race. For the members of both groups are suffering from culture shock. The two lovers didn’t ask them to like each other, but they only wanted to be together. This is when as a young peson you are taught intellectual, phyisical, and social skills. The city only offered status inconsistency and this caused the seperation between the immiagrants and the natives.

The word discrimination can always be a associated with racism. The language barrier causes problems in itself. The Jets and the Sharks and there families had nothing to do with there love.

Approximate Word count = 1522
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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