In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Do the Right Thing, we will explain the film’s ending.
Cast
- Spike Lee – Mookie
- Danny Aiello – Sal
- John Turturro – Pino
- Richard Edson – Vito
- Bill Nunn – Radio Raheem
- Rosie Perez – Tina
- Giancarlo Esposito – Buggin’ Out
- Ossie Davis – Da Mayor
- Ruby Dee – Mother Sister
- Samuel L. Jackson – Mister Señor Love Daddy
- Roger Guenveur Smith – Smiley
- Rick Aiello – Officer Gary Long
- Miguel Sandoval – Officer Mark Ponte
- Joie Lee – Jade
- Martin Lawrence – Cee
- Leonard L. Thomas – Punchy
- Christa Rivers – Ella
- Robin Harris – Sweet Dick Willie
- Paul Benjamin – ML
- Frankie Faison – Coconut Sid
The end of Do the Right Thing explained
A recap of the ending
Buggin’ Out, Radio Raheem, and Smiley storm into Sal’s Pizzeria, protesting Sal’s Wall of Fame. Sal orders Raheem to turn off his blaring boombox, but Radio Raheem refuses. Fueled by the tension, Buggin’ Out becomes derogatory towards Sal and his sons, vowing to close the establishment until Black people are represented on the Wall.
Sal retaliates in a fit of anger, racially insulting Buggin’ Out and smashing Raheem’s boombox, sparking a brawl that quickly engulfs the pizzeria and spills onto the streets, attracting a crowd. As Raheem puts Sal in a chokehold, Officers Long and Ponte arrive to quell the chaos. Raheem and Buggin’ Out are apprehended, and in an alarming twist, Long chokes Raheem with his nightstick despite pleas from Ponte and the crowd. Raheem’s life is tragically taken and the officers, cognizant of their error, hastily drive off with his body.
The crowd, shattered and incensed over Radio Raheem’s death, hold Sal and his sons accountable. Da Mayor tries to reason with the crowd about Sal’s innocence but to no avail. Overcome by fury and sorrow, Mookie hurls a trash can through Sal’s Pizzeria window, catalyzing the mob to raid and wreck the establishment. Smiley sets it ablaze as Da Mayor rescues Sal and his sons from the impending mob, now fixated on Sonny’s store.
Sonny, in a state of dread, successfully dissuades the mob. With the arrival of the police, firemen, and riot patrols, the crowd is dispersed, and the fire is extinguished amidst continued discord and arrests. A bewildered Mookie and Jade observe the scene from a safe distance while Smiley, reentering the charred premises, places one of his photos on the remnants of Sal’s Wall.
In the aftermath, Mookie confronts Sal about his due pay, following an argument with Tina. The two men bicker, reach an uneasy truce, and Sal finally pays Mookie his wages. Local DJ Mister Señor Love Daddy memorializes Radio Raheem with a dedicated song.
As the film nears its end, contrasting quotes on violence by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X appear, followed by an image of the two leaders in a handshake.
Here is the quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by destroying itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.
And the quote from Malcolm X:
I think there are plenty of good people in America, but there are also plenty of bad people in America and the bad ones are the ones who seem to have all the power and be in these positions to block things that you and I need. Because this is the situation, you and I have to preserve the right to do what is necessary to bring an end to that situation, and it doesn’t mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don’t even call it violence when it’s self-defense, I call it intelligence.
The film is then dedicated to the families of six victims of police brutality or racial violence: Eleanor Bumpurs, Michael Griffith, Arthur Miller Jr., Edmund Perry, Yvonne Smallwood, and Michael Stewart.
Meaning
Let’s go back through all those pieces from Do the Right Thing‘s ending and observe what overall statement is being made about racial tension in the United States.
The escalation of racial tensions
The climactic confrontation in Do the Right Thing is a reflection of escalating racial tensions that have been brewing throughout the entire film. The tension between the different racial groups in the neighborhood is palpable from the onset, underscored by motifs of incredible heat and Sal’s Wall of Fame.
The heat represents the smoldering racial tensions within the community. The sweltering summer weather creates an atmosphere of restlessness and agitation that mirrors the community’s emotional state. It’s a visual and sensory metaphor for how racial tension and frustration can simmer below the surface, intensifying until they reach a boiling point.
Sal’s Wall of Fame acts as another significant symbol, representing the denial of racial recognition. The wall, adorned with only Italian-American celebrities, starkly contrasts with the predominantly Black neighborhood the pizzeria resides in. This omission doesn’t go unnoticed, especially by Buggin’ Out, and becomes a significant point of contention that adds to the building tension.
When Sal destroys Raheem’s boombox after a heated confrontation over the Wall of Fame, it is not merely an act of aggression but a metaphorical dismissal of the Black community’s culture and identity, thus igniting the existing tension into a full-blown conflict. The fight spills onto the streets, attracting a crowd and the police’s attention, which culminates in Raheem’s tragic death by chokehold.
Radio Raheem’s death thus underscores the deadly consequences of systemic racism and racial tension. Even though Sal didn’t instigate the fight, he becomes the community’s target due to Raheem’s unjust death, showing how racial tension can distort perceptions and escalate conflicts. This escalation reflects the destructive cycle of racial prejudice, illustrating how deep-seated biases can lead to unjustifiable violence.
The riot and its symbolism
Riots are often a manifestation of pent-up frustrations of marginalized communities. In Do the Right Thing, the destruction of Sal’s Pizzeria is the physical representation of this suppressed anger breaking free. The community feels disenfranchised, and this explosive display of defiance becomes a means to voice their longstanding grievances.
The riot, in this sense, becomes a form of catharsis, an emotional release for the community. For them, it’s a reaction against systemic inequities that they have been forced to endure. It is a destructive, yet significant, means of rebellion against a system that consistently overlooks their needs and concerns. While the destruction may seem senseless to an outside observer, for the people involved, it is an act of reclaiming power and agency, however transient it might be.
This act of rebellion is further underscored by Radio Raheem’s earlier “Love and Hate” speech. Here is that speech in full:
Let me tell you the story of Right Hand, Left Hand. It’s a tale of good and evil. Hate: it was with this hand that Cain iced his brother. Love: these five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: static. One hand is always fighting the other hand, and the left hand is kicking much ass. I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that’s right. Ooh, it’s a devastating right and Hate is hurt, he’s down. Left-Hand Hate KOed by Love.
That speech takes on an ironic tone as the riot unfolds. The community, driven by love for their own and a sense of justice, turns to what can be perceived as an act of hate: the destruction of Sal’s pizzeria.
This irony embodies the complex reality of racial struggles, where love for one’s community can lead to actions perceived as hateful. The riot, while destructive, embodies this struggle, highlighting the community’s desperate need for acknowledgment and change. It shows that when pushed to the brink, when love seems to be losing the fight, actions born out of frustration and a thirst for justice can be misunderstood as acts of hate.
Mookie’s act of throwing the trash can is a powerful image and a potent symbol for the ongoing struggle between love and hate that Radio Raheem talks about. Mookie loves his community and sees it suffer. He’s also aware that Sal’s pizzeria, at that moment, is a symbol of the community’s oppression—an embodiment of the racial tensions and the lack of recognition that sparked the fight and led to Raheem’s death. Mookie chooses an act of apparent hate, not because he hates Sal personally, but out of love for his community and a need for justice. You could also argue that he throws the trash can out of love in order to protect Sal and his sons.
The struggle for recognition and respect
In the aftermath of the riot, Mookie’s return to Sal to demand his weekly pay carries significant symbolic weight. Mookie’s insistence on being paid, despite the previous night’s catastrophic events, underscores a fundamental theme of the film: the struggle for recognition and respect.
Mookie’s demand for his salary, against the backdrop of the smoldering remnants of Sal’s pizzeria, isn’t just about money. It represents his assertion of self-worth and dignity in a system that consistently undermines it. Mookie, a pizza delivery man, has spent his days serving the community, and his demand for pay is symbolic of his fight for acknowledgment of his labor’s value, even amidst chaos. And Sal’s eventual decision to pay Mookie, albeit begrudgingly, signifies a moment of recognition.
This scene, however, doesn’t suggest a complete resolution of the racial tension. Instead, it reveals a moment of temporary truce within the ongoing struggle, a small step towards mutual recognition. It emphasizes that the journey towards racial harmony and recognition is fraught with conflict, but not devoid of the potential for understanding and change. This small act of transaction underscores the film’s commentary on the complex dynamics of race, labor, and respect in a racially diverse community.
Ending with contrasting philosophies
At the end of Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee presents quotes from two iconic figures in the civil rights movement: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. These quotes reflect their respective philosophies towards social change: King’s nonviolent resistance and Malcolm X’s belief in self-defense in the face of oppression.
King once said, “The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.” This speaks to his conviction that violent reprisals, while initially gratifying, are ultimately detrimental to the larger goal of societal harmony.
In contrast, Malcolm X once stated, “I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to the American black man’s problem—just to avoid violence.” This is emblematic of his belief in the legitimacy of violence as a tool for self-defense, asserting that black people have the right to protect themselves when institutions fail to do so.
Spike Lee’s decision to include these seemingly contrasting statements is a reflection of the complex nature of racial struggle, particularly as it’s depicted in the movie. The narrative doesn’t promote one approach over the other. Instead, it showcases the multifaceted and often conflicting responses to racial oppression.
By juxtaposing these quotes, Lee suggests that the film’s narrative is not a prescriptive solution to racial tensions, but an exploration of the myriad ways individuals might respond to the same. It’s a recognition that the struggle for racial equality is not monolithic and that different approaches can coexist, even if they seem contradictory.
In the end, Do the Right Thing doesn’t definitively answer what the “right thing” is. Instead, it encourages viewers to contemplate the complexities of racial tension and the multitude of responses it evokes. This makes the film not just a depiction of racial tension, but also a platform for dialogue and introspection about the realities of racial conflict and the diverse responses it provokes.
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