The Meaning of Justice in Miguel Piñero's "Short Eyes" Anonymous College

In Miguel Piñero's theatrical play, "Short Eyes," we are introduced to the prison life and the different relationships formed within the Prison. The play opens up with a guard doing roll call in which the leading group of characters is introduced and placed on the "B" side of the room. The inmates seem comfortable with one another since they are playing cards, teasing one another, and look familiar with each other. This comfortableness and relationships shared shift once Clark Davis is introduced, a white man accused of being a pedophile. He is nicknamed "short eyes," prison slang for a pedophile. He is automatically outcasted and targeted by everyone, including the only other white inmate and the guard who is supposed to uphold justice. With this in mind, Miguel Piñero's play demonstrates how morals, along with other traits such as corruption and race, can either enforce or repress justice.

Piñero's play takes place during the 1970s, a time considered to be of corruption, racism, and war. Under Richard Nixon's presidency, marginalized people were still fighting for equality. Policies were changing, many targeting minority communities, such as that of the Latinx and Black communities. During his presidency, Nixon abolished...