Free Term Paper on the Movie Bound by Honor
“Blood In…Blood Out”
Bound By Honor.
In the movie “Blood
In…Blood Out,” there are three young Chicano teens just trying to survive in a
white man’s world. First, you have Paco, a rebellious teen that loves a fight,
and is in a small East Los Angeles street gang called “Vatos Locos.” Then, there
is his half brother Cruz, he is trying to stray away from the gang life by
painting, however, he still is and hangs with the Vatos Locos. Lastly, with
blonde hair, blue eyes, and white skin, there is Miklo the cousin of Cruz and
Paco, who ran away from his white father to reconect with his Mexican roots. The
only problem is Miklo does not look Chicano, and the Mexican community,
including Paco, have a hard time accepting him into the world he so much wants
to be a part of. His friends call him names like “white boy” or “guero” to make
fun of his skin. Miklo though, is determined to gain the respect of his peers,
he decides that he too wants to be a “Vato Loco,” which doesn’t sit very well
with Paco. He tells Miklo, “Do white boys get VL placas (tattoos)? No, it
doesn’t happen. Unless…” and that’s where it all starts.
Paco decides that
his cousin can be part of the Vatos Locos, but since he is half white, he will
have to prove himself to the group, by doing something big for them. Miklo
quickly obliges, and bashes out the window of a rival gang called “Tres Puntos.”
With that Miklo gets to be in the “in crowd” as he always wanted to be. Tres
Puntos not agreeing with this, takes it out on Cruz, and thus starts a gang war.
Things become even worse when at a war between the two gangs, Miklo shoots and
kills the head member Spider. This brings on even bigger problems then Miklo can
imagine: San Quentin Prison.
Suddenly, everything Miklo learned in the
street gang becomes obsolete, and he is back to being an outsider with no one to
turn to. The AV’ers, a clique of white males in prison, want Miklo to side with
them, but Miklo does not want any part of them. Instead, he wants to hang with
the Mexican clique, La Onda, which do not want anything to do with this “guero”
(white boy in Spanish). They pick on him, call him names, and do not want him
within their sight. Still yet again though, he is determined to be a part of a
world that does not want him in. La Onda’s world is where he wants to be, and he
goes to talk to Montana the “jefe” (Spanish word for boss). Some of the best
dialogue in the movie occurs here with the confrontation of Miklo and Montana,
when Montana tells him, “White is the enemy. White is the system. You’re stuck
in the middle.” Miklo comes back and says, “The color of my skin shouldn’t keep
me out. Chicano is not a color, it’s the way you think…the way you live.”
Montana is not buying it, and still tells him no. So, Miklo finally goes for the
clincher and says, “All my f*ckin life I have been kept out. You know what that
feels like? Knowing you’re a Chicano, and nobody accepts you ‘cause your skin
came out white? Use me, use this (pointing to his white face). You said it
everything is based on color, right!? I can get into places you can’t ‘cause my
skin is white on the outside…But I am brown to the bone on the inside.” With
that speech, Montana finally gives in. He tells Miklo that he can be in, If he
kills one of their biggest enemies using his skin color to their advantage.
Miklo does it, and finally is accepted by La Onda. As the story goes on Miklo is
constantly proving loyalty to this prison gang, and gets into more and more
trouble as the movie progresses. The story continues with many more trials and
tribulations including eventual betrayal, however, Miklo’s race problem is the
one I chose to focus on.
I can relate to him somehow, which makes me
appreciate his character that much more. I personally, have gone through times
in my life where I have been ‘kept out.’ I have the skin color, just not the
“attitude” that most Mexicans and Chicanos are affiliated with. I do not speak
fluent Spanish, I did not grow up in the “barrio,” I grew up in an all white
suburb. Do not get me wrong I know a lot of Spanish history, but my cousins
never wanted to accept me, because I did not share the same hard knock
lifestyles that they did. The only thing I ever wanted from them, though, was to
belong. It was as if they were ashamed of me, because I acted “too white” for
them, just as Miklo’s skin was “too white” for Chicano gangs. So, before this
turns into a written counseling session, I will just say that, one of the
biggest reasons I love this movie so much, is for its realistic sense. Everyone,
regardless of color, can relate to one (or more) of the many characters in the
movie. I agree one hundred percent with the writer of this movie and the realism
he gave it. It gives me, at least, the sense that I am not alone, and that
discrimination does not just happen to me. This movie is about trying to fit in
this world, struggles and changes these three men face. These are things real
people are going through everywhere, everyday (yes, even still today).
Acceptance seems to be so important in our society, that it consumes many of us
trying to be in with the “in” crowd.
Focusing on Miklo, it is sad to see a
life wasted in jail and living a thug life, simply because his skin was always
too light. I speak of him as if he is real, because somewhere in the world, he
really is. There may be a boy or girl out there going though the same exact
problems he went through. The only difference is the name. We live in a society
where race means so much, when it really does not have to. As children, we are
taught that all men are created equal with equal opportunity. However, it is
simply not true. In the movie, Miklo was able to get into places at the prison,
because of his skin color. Racism and favoritism still exist, it is just not as
blatant as it once was. The thing is both will still exist years from now,
because we still have to check our race at the door. Meaning, just about every
piece of paper you fill out asks for your ethnical background. Miklo says it
best when he said the color of his skin should not keep him out, but looking at
it from another angle, it should not be the factor to be let in, either. There
is so much more to a person than just their skin color. People should not be
excluded or included, because of their skin color.
To look at his race issue
from another point, he used his color to get ahead in life, which was not good.
Everyone was using him, and not even him. They were using his color, his blue
eyes and blonde hair. It did not matter though, it was all for the sake of him
fitting in, and that is all he ever really wanted. A person’s color should be
the least of anyone’s concerns. It is all about what is inside. Your color
should not decide who you are and who you want to be. You yourself should decide
that, and that is what I took away from this movie.