Short Eyes: A Play

By Miguel Piñero

Book Overview

Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award

This powerful drama of prison life is set in a house of detention where a group of young convicts-predominantly black and Puerto Rican-taunt, fight, insult, and entertain one another in an attempt to preserve their sanity and to create a semblance of community. When a young white prisoner accused of child molesting is thrown into the cell block by a guard who says he belongs in Sing Sing because "the men up there konw what to do with degenerates like you," the stage is set for an explosive series of events; for, among prisoners, this child molester called "short eyes" is the lowest of criminals.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374521476
• ISBN13: 9780374521479
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Hill & Wang
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Racial tension hightened because of confinement

This play captures the intense racial and ethnic survival networks that develop in a prison. Men must join with other men of the same race or ethnicity or risk being victimized. Blacks bond with Blacks, white with whites, Latinos with Latinos. Conflict, competition, and smoldering violence characterize the relationship between these groups. Pinero captures this prison sub-culture very well in his play Short Eyes. Yet within each group are individual characters with their own motives and desires and manipulations. Again Pinero captures these characters very well, especially the White gang leader, Longshoe, and the Black Muslim gang leader. Into this mix comes a white fellow, who is initially recruited by the white gang until it is revealed that he is charged with child molestation, a crime called 'short eyes' by prisoners. This man is brutally tortured and killed in the jail setting, only to find out later that he was misidentified. Yet he demonstrates clearly what happens to the scapegoat, the outsider, even in a world of outsiders. The language is rough and realistic. The tension between prisoners remains taunt, never letting up, and thus revealing the terrible existance that life behind bars presents. In 1975 this play was highly controversial with its display of racial tension, homosexuality, and murder within a prison. However such TV shows as OZ have introduced US audiences to the racial dynamics and the sexual relationships behind bars. Thus this play was ground-breaking in its time, even though today's audiences may not find it as shocking as viewers/readers in the 1970s. It is still highly recommended.

A play that grabs the reader emotionally.

The play "Short Eyes" is a powerfully told truth about prison life. The setting takes place in the day room of a House of Detention. The cast of actors are mostly made up of Blacks, Puerto Ricans and a few Whites. They are young convicts. They exchange taunts, fighting & insults just to keep their sanity intact, and some sense of a community. An accused child molester is brought into the cellblock. He is called a degenerate by a guard. A child molester (or in prison slang a "short eyes") is considered the most despicable of people. Mr. Pinero, while serving a five year sentence for armed robbery in Sing Sing Prison, started writing the play. Marvin Felix Camillo read some of Miguel's work and asked him to sign up in his drama workshop in the prison. This was a workshop for convicts interested in writing and acting. Miguel was encouraged to write plays. The drama work shop evolved into an acting company called The Family. Joseph Papp produced the play "Short Eyes" at the Lincoln Center in New York City. Short Eyes won the best American play of 1973 & 74 by the New York drama critics circle award. Miguel Pinero's play "Short Eyes" is straight on! It doesn't pull any punches. It holds back absolutely nothing on life in jail.

Powerful.

Powerful, Extremely easy to read. I wish I could see it done as a play.

Prison as a microcosm for society

Miguel Pinero's play "Short Eyes" opened as part of the New York Shakespeare Festival in 1975. This play deals with life in prison; its flavor of authenticity probably comes from the fact that the author himself had spent time in prison."Short Eyes" involves a multiethnic group of inmates whose lives are affected by the incarceration of a mild-mannered white man charged with a particularly shocking crime. Pinero creates a fascinating portrayal of a racially fractured subculture in which whites are the minority. His prison is populated with many memorable characters: the African-American inmate El Raheem, whose "Black Muslim"-inspired dialogue is marked by quick wordplay and messianic fury; Longshoe, the tough white inmate; Cupcakes, the pretty-boy who is the object of another inmate's lust, and more.Pinero's claustrophobic world of Blacks, Puerto Ricans, and whites could be seen as a frightening microcosm of the larger American society: a world of destructive compulsions and violence. Pinero's dialogue is often penetrating and shocking; his characters are alive with raw pain and rage. "Short Eyes" may be too much for some readers to handle, but those with a serious interest in American drama or Puerto Rican literature, this is a remarkable work of art.

A Compelling New York City Prison Drama

An insider's view of life in the notorious Tombs on Rikers Island, where New York City used to house prisoners awaiting trial. Pinero was an important poet and playright, and co-founder of The Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. This drama tells the story of a middle class white man arrested for child molestion, a "short eyes" in prison slang. These prisoners are held in special contempt by the rest of prison society, and this man is a particularly easy target. Pinero has the voice of authority, making this a rare prison drama with the ring of truth. The play was was also made into a brilliant movie.