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However, not all Mexican-Americans welcomed this youthful militancy. It was because they thought that it was unnecessary to do some kind of movement.
The Mexican-American political leaders stated that this student movement was not productive and only caused troubles. They were afraid that some kind of
movement would hold up what they had been fighting for. Many older Mexican-American saw the Chicano movement as a brash,
upsetting, and polarizing offensive that ultimately might undermine their precarious accommodation to American society. Some conservatives were
quick to denounce it as too aggressive, too strident, and ultimately as divisive. Mexican-American political leaders labeled various Chicano
activist groups as reverse-racist and un-American. Others saw the student movement as unsophisticated, naïve, unprofessional, and ultimately
counterproductive. Still others were unwilling to endorse the Chicano movement without qualification but recognized the pressing to publicize
Mexican-American grievance. Meier 1972: 222
D. Theoretical Framework
The purpose of this undergraduate thesis is to answer the two questions that are previously formulated in the chapter one. Thus, the theories above, the
character and the characterization and the American Dream are needed to help solving the formulated problems. The researcher also needs the historical
background of Mexican-American written above to do the analysis. The theory of character and characterization is needed to reveal how
Mingo is characterized by Luis Valdez. The sequences of Mingo characterization in the play are significant to the writer, Luis Valdez, because the characterization
is revealed gradually by the author. To understand Mingo’s characteristics, the
researcher uses Reaske’s characterization. However, since there are no asides and
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soliloquies found in the play, it is not used. Forsters’ theory is used for analyzing the development of Mingos character that is influenced by American Dream.
Next, the researcher uses the theory of American Dream to explore the idea of American Dream. The idea is
then applied to identify Mingo’s characteristic in the play. The theory of American Dream is needed so that the
researcher understands deeply about it, and understands further its influence towards Mingo’s characteristics.
The theory of Mexican-American in the 1960s is used to find out the history of Mexican-American in the United States. This theory is needed in
analyzing the relation among the life experiences of Mexican-American, their struggle, and the society reaction towards them in the United States.
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CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this research is The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa, a play written by Luis Valdez. This play was written by him while he was still a student at
San Jose State College. The first publication of the play was in 1967 by El Teatro Campesino
. Later it was published in 1989 along with five other plays in Necessary Theatre: Six Plays About the Chicano Experience
by Arte Publico Press in Houston, Texas.
This play consists of 53 pages and it is divided into 5 acts. Valdez firstly directed this play for El Teatro Campesino in 1968 and later 1970. Since then, some
directors staged this play. This play is about a Mexican-American family who lives in the United States.
They are Pedro, the father, Cruz, the mother, Belarmino, the oldest brother which is a head, Mingo, a Mexican-American son, Lupe, a daughter, and Joaquin, a Chicano
son. The parents are Mexican immigrant who has been living in the United States for a long time.
The brothers, Joaquin and Mingo, are become the main focus on this play. Joaquin who always finds trouble in the hood and Mingo who wants to let go of his
root and become Anglo-American.
