Spike’s neighborhood is mostly a black neighborhood, with the exception of the Korean storeowners and Sal and his two sons, who have their pizzeria in the area but do not live there. The neighborhood is full of people of different ethnicities coexisting rather peacefully even though they have their differences. There is ethnic tension between the different groups and it becomes evident when each of the different races talk about how they really feel by using stereotypes. I think it’s interesting how the camera is focused directly on the faces of these people and how they’re speaking right into the camera. The camera’s angle makes the way these people feel about their ethnic differences much more effective and powerful.
The conflict begins with Radio Raheem entering the pizzeria blasting his boombox and disrupting the atmosphere of Sal’s place. Sal asks him to turn off the music but Raheem refuses. The song playing on Raheem’s boombox is “Fight the Power,” and this song is Radio Raheem’s motto and he tries to abide by it especially when he refuses to turn off the music because in a sense, he is fighting the power. This causes tension between the two and becomes the starting point of the feud. Also, it is an extremely hot day, which fuels people’s angers and causes them to become more irritated over small things. Radio Raheem is shown from the bottom-up in this scene, making him seem more intimidating and powerful. Towards the end of the movie, Radio Raheem is killed by the cops; the angry crowd turn against Sal and destroy his famous pizzeria. I find it ironic how the film is titled Do the Right Thing yet nobody really does the right thing. Radio Raheem and Buggin’ Out cause tension and problems by trying to boycott the pizzeria and confronting Sal. Sal gets angry and breaks Raheem’s boombox, which further angers Raheem and causes him to attack Sal. Nobody tries to stop the fight and they all end up turning against Sal and his sons.
I believe that Mookie throws the garbage can through the window of Sal’s pizzeria to direct the crowd’s anger towards the pizzeria and away from Sal. The crowd is angry after Radio Raheem’s death and they blame Sal for his death. The crowd confronts Mookie, who decides to throw a garbage can through the window of the pizzeria. Mookie understands the crowd’s anger but still can’t see his boss get hurt. Because he does not want Sal to get hurt, he deliberately throws the garbage can. He would rather the crowd destroy the store than hurt Sal. Indirectly, Mookie throws the garbage can to save Sal’s life and prevent him from becoming the crowd’s target. In a way, Mookie was loyal to his boss, Sal but yet still loyal to his friends who wanted to avenge Radio Raheem’s death.
