Do the Right Thing

Elizabeth Griffin 

Does the script provide a point about doing the “right” thing?  What is the “right” thing to do according to the script?

"Doing the right thing" is something that every human being is expected to do. It is a decision or action that will best benefit everyone in the situation. Although this is something that should be done with every decision, many people have a hard time with it. After reading the script of "Do the Right Thing", I have found that each character believes that they are doing the right thing being in the situation that they are in. They all believe that they are right but as the audience, we know that they could have taken a better route to fixing the problem. However, I can tell that it can be very hard for people to do the right thing in situations of anger and disbelief. Once anger takes over, there is no going back and it is hard to focus on trying to please everyone. At some point, many of the characters contain a great amount of anger inside of them. With this being said, I do not believe that the script provides a clear point about what doing the right thing is. Each character has a completely different point of view from the next causing it to be difficult to point out the right thing for all. Given their circumstances, they are unaware of what the right thing to do is. For many of the characters, they do both the right and wrong thing throughout the play. Their is not one character that was consistently "right" throughout the play. For example, as the reader I can tell that Da Mayor tries to do the right thing when he saves Eddie from getting hit by a car and tries to stop the angry mob from damaging Sal's but in the beginning of the play he disrespects the Korean clerk which was not the right thing to do. Also, Vito does try to stick up for Mookie in the pizzeria however he lets Pino get the best of him causing him to not do the best he can when defending Mookie.  Radio Raheem believes he is doing the right thing by boycotting Sal's but he could have done it in a more respectful way by looking at Sal's perspective which would have avoided violence and his death. 

A message that can be taken away from the script is to stick up for what you believe in. This can be taken as doing the "right" thing. Every character has their own beliefs and they stick to these beliefs throughout the play.  It seems that no one changed, they remain true to themselves and demand what is theirs. Sal demands respect in his restaurant and does anything to receive it. Mookie wants his money and consistently asks for what he has earned. Pino looks down upon Mookie because of his skin color and does not change his opinion on him throughout the play. Overall, based on the script, it can be inferred that the right thing to do is to remain true to yourself and your beliefs. Everyone has different opinions but the only one that matters is your own. It is hard to say that each character does the right thing however in the situation that they are put in, they do what they think the best thing to do is.