Alice Bloomfield Character Analysis in Zoot Suit

Alice Bloomfield is a reporter and activist who is eager to counter the predominant narrative about the Chicano community in the press. To do this, she introduces herself to Henry while he’s in prison, telling him that she wants to write a piece about him. However, Henry is hesitant to talk to Alice because he doesn’t see how she could possibly help him. Consequently, Alice explains that she has always wanted to learn about the Chicano community because she grew up in Los Angeles but never encountered many Chicanos. By saying this, she shows Henry that she is genuinely invested in learning about his culture and supporting him in an organic way that is actually based on what he and his friends need or want. At the same time, though, Alice isn’t always so good at offering her support in ways that don’t overshadow the people for whom she hopes to advocate. This becomes evident by her harsh reaction to the idea of Henry dropping out of the appeal. Losing sight of the fact that Henry can make his own decisions, Alice tells him he can’t drop out of the case because she has put so much work into the entire cause, thereby giving him the impression that he owes her something when, in reality, he never asked for her support. Thankfully, though, Alice and Henry patch things up when Henry sees just how much she cares about him and his wellbeing. In turn, Alice’s commitment to helping Henry becomes an example of the ways in which advocacy can get interpersonally complicated and messy.

Alice Bloomfield Quotes in Zoot Suit

The Zoot Suit quotes below are all either spoken by Alice Bloomfield or refer to Alice Bloomfield. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Racism, Nationalism, and Scapegoating Theme Icon

ALICE: I’m talking about you, Henry Reyna. And what the regular press has been saying. Are you aware you’re in here just because some bigshot up in San Simeon wants to sell more papers? It’s true.

HENRY: So?

ALICE: So, he’s the man who started this Mexican Crime Wave stuff. Then the police got into the act. Get the picture?

Related Characters: Alice Bloomfield (speaker), Henry Reyna (speaker)

Related Symbols: Newspapers

Page Number and Citation: 49

Explanation and Analysis:

This exchange takes place when Alice Bloomfield meets Henry for the first time. Henry is in jail, and Alice wants to write a newspaper article about him because she hopes to counter the negative narrative that has emerged in the news media about the Chicano community. However, Henry is hesitant to talk to her, failing to see how, exactly, she can do anything for him. Consequently, Alice emphasizes an important point about the way the public views Henry and his friends, calling attention to the fact that a newspaper proprietor who doesn’t even live in Los Angeles coined the term Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Volupt

ALICE: Believe it or not, I was born in Los Angeles just like you. But for some strange reason I grew up here, not knowing very much about Mexicans at all. I’m just trying to learn.

Related Characters: Alice Bloomfield (speaker), Henry Reyna

Page Number and Citation: 49

Explanation and Analysis:

Alice says this to Henry in an attempt to convince him to trust her, ultimately trying to explain why, exactly, she wants to support him and the other members of the 38th Street Gang. To do this, she tells Henry that she wants to educate herself about the Chicano community—a fact that illustrates her willingness to actually listen to Henry instead of simply deciding what’s best for him. This is an important moment in the play because it indicates that Alice is capable of being a positive white ally who tries to support people of color by making a legitimate Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error

TOMMY: […] I don’t want to be treated any different than the rest of the batos, see? And don’t expect me to talk to you like some square Anglo [...]. You just better find out what it means to be Chicano, and it better be pretty damn quick.

[…]

I also know that I’m in here just be cause I hung around with Mexicans ... or pachucos. Well, just remember this, Alicia ... I grew up right alongside most of these batos, and I’m pachuco too.

Related Characters: Tommy Roberts (speaker), Alice Bloomfield, Henry Reyna

Page Number and Citation: 68

Explanation and Analysis:

Tommy says this to Alice Bloomfield after she says that his vocabulary is “better than most”—a statement that gives him pause, causing him to wonder if she means that his English is better than most of his friends’. This bothers him because he is white, unlike Henry and the other members of the 38th Street Gang. Despite the fact that Tommy isn’t Chicano, though, he doesn’t see himself as different than the rest of the gang, apparently interpreting “what it means to be Chicano” in a way that frames it as a cultural identity and way of life, not necessarily Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta imp

HENRY: […] You think you can just move in and defend anybody you feel like? When did I ever ask you to start a defense committee for me? Or a newspaper? Or a fundraising drive and all that other shit? I don’t need defending, esa. I can take care of myself.

ALICE: But what about the trial, the sentence. They gave you life imprisonment?

HENRY: It’s my life!

ALICE: Henry, honestly—are you kidding me?

HENRY: You think so?

ALICE: But you’ve seen me coming and going. Writing to you, speaking for you, traveling up and down the state. You must have known I was doing it for you. Nothing has come before my involvement, my attachment, my passion for this case. My boys have been everything to me.

HENRY: My boys? My boys! What the hell are we—your personal property? Well, let me set you straight, lady, I ain’t your boy.

Related Characters: Henry Reyna (speaker), Alice Bloomfield (speaker)

Related Symbols: Newspapers

Page Number and Citation: 71

Explanation and Analysis:

In this exchange, Henry has just told Alice that he wants to drop out of the appeal, effectively ensuring that he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Hearing this, Alice becomes quite upset and can’t keep herself from reminding Henry how much work she has poured into his case. By bringing this up, though, she makes it seem as if Henry owes her something, so he reminds her that he never asked for her help. When Henry accuses Alice of feeling like she can “just move in and defend anybody” she wants, he points out that she Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam dolo

PRESS: Henry Reyna went back to prison in 1947 for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. While incarcerated, he killed another inmate and he wasn’t released until 1955, when he got into hard drugs. He died of the trauma of his life in 1972.

PACHUCO: That’s the way you see it, ese. But there’s other way[s] to end this story.

RUDY: Henry Reyna went to Korea in 1950. He was shipped across in a destroyer and defended the 38th Parallel until he was killed at Inchon in 1952, being posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

ALICE: Henry Reyna married Della in 1948 and they have five kids, three of them now going to the University, speaking calo and calling themselves Chicanos.

Related Characters: The Press (speaker), El Pachuco (speaker), Rudy (speaker), Alice Bloomfield (speaker), Henry Reyna

Page Number and Citation: 94

Explanation and Analysis:

In this passage, several characters narrate Henry’s future while hugging him. This scene takes place at the very end of the play, just after Henry breaks down and his family and friends embrace him in a collective hug, showing them their unyielding support. As this happens, a member of the press enters and says that Henry will soon return to prison and eventually become addicted to drugs. However, El Pachuco refutes this, saying that this is only the version of Henry’s life that the press has chosen to latch onto. This comment then encourages Rudy and Alice to furnish their Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nis

Alice Bloomfield Character Timeline in Zoot Suit

The timeline below shows where the character Alice Bloomfield appears in Zoot Suit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Public Perception and the Press Theme Icon

...is a reservoir where many young Chicanos go to swim. Hearing this, a reporter named Alice Bloomfield asks if this is because the Chicano community isn’t allowed to frequent the public... (full context)

...scene returns to the present. As Henry sits in his jail cell, George enters with Alice Bloomfield, who introduces herself to Henry as a reporter. Jumping in, George tells Henry that... (full context)

Alice tells Henry that other newspapers are linking “the Pachuco Crime Wave” to fascism and spreading... (full context)

Henry talks to Alice about his life, discussing the fact that he’s been arrested multiple times on suspicion and... (full context)

Henry reads aloud the letters he and the others receive in prison from Alice Bloomfield, who writes to tell them that she will send them a weekly newsletter, which... (full context)

Self-Presentation and Cultural Identity Theme Icon

As the weeks go by, the members of the 38th Street Gang become fond of Alice, though Smiley asks her to stop encouraging his wife to go around asking for money... (full context)

In a letter to Alice, Henry asks her to arrange for a private visit with him the next time she... (full context)

Henry tells Alice that he doesn’t need her to take care of him, asserting that it’s his choice... (full context)

Incensed that Henry plans to accept injustice, Alice talks about how difficult it has been to work on helping the 38th Street Gang.... (full context)

...this is the case. He also insists that they’ll be fine without him, saying that Alice and many other people are working hard for them on the outside. (full context)

When Henry gets out of solitary confinement, he asks Alice why she’s working so hard to help him, and she says it’s because she can’t... (full context)

Alice begins to cry, but her tears turn to laughter. She and Henry then start kissing,... (full context)

Back at home, Henry greets Rudy and his parents, along with George, Alice, and the other members of the 38th Street Gang, all of whom have come to... (full context)

...asks Henry if he’s still planning on proposing to her. Before Henry can decide, though, Alice comes outside. (full context)

Alice tells Henry that she’s going to leave, but Henry insists that she stay. Alice then... (full context)

...whether or not he might wind back up in prison. He then turns to both Alice and Della and says, “But I love you…” After a pause, he goes to Della... (full context)

...claim that Joey was stealing George’s car, so George goes to settle the matter, taking Alice with him. When Henry goes to help, though, his father stands in his way, ordering... (full context)

...War and is killed in action in 1952, receiving a posthumous Medal of Honor. Reentering, Alice says that Henry marries Della in 1948 and that they have five children together, three... (full context)

Alice Bloomfield Character Analysis

Alice Bloomfield Quotes in Zoot Suit

Act 1, Scene 8: El Día de la Raza Quotes

Act 2, Scene 2: The Letters Quotes

Act 2, Scene 3: The Incorrigible Pachuco Quotes

Act 2, Scene 6: Zoot Suit Riots Quotes

Alice Bloomfield Character Timeline in Zoot Suit