Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and Stephen Sondheim's Ragtime have similar and relating themes intertwined throughout each of their storylines. Each play portrays different ethnic groups that have immigrated into America and how these ethnic groups are treated and accepted by the dominate race, the Whites. Both Ragtime and West Side Story depict the initial idealistic view that the immigrants have of America. It is not until the immigrants in each play are actually experiencing their lives in America that they realize it is not solely a land of endless opportunities of freedom and success. Both the Puerto Ricans in West Side Story and the Blacks and Jews in Ragtime must face many hardships, injustices, and violence before all the races come to a realization that the way they are treating one another is not acceptable. By the end of the plays it becomes a common understanding that steps need to be taken in beginning to create a community with equal opportunities for all races.
Playa América
Grave of Leonard Bernstein, an American conductor,...
English: Song I feel pretty from West Side Story b...America, the land of "endless opportunity," seems a lot better when looking at it in a general sense from the outside than when a minority is actually experiencing it for the first time. This idea is depicted in both plays especially through the songs "America" (West Side Story) and "Success" (Ragtime). "America" illustrates examples of appealing aspects of America from Puerto Ricans with an optimistic point of view and is then followed with contradicting pessimistic views by other Puerto Ricans. "Life is alright in America, If you're white in America," the lyrics of the song explain that there is in fact opportunity for success in America, but only if you are a White American. Even though the minority immigrants are free once they come to America, they are not treated equally by...