s (formerly headed by Tony, who has left gang life but remains in contact with those still in it). The rival gangs compete for social power in the Upper Westside of New York. The social tension between the two rival gangs, one made up of first generation Americans whose parents immigrated in the early 20th Century, and the other newly arrived immigrants, reveals prejudices toward newcomers. In the musical, dance and song are the principal means of depicting the sociology of the situation. Jets and Sharks dance exuberantly among themselves and "against" each other, when they are in the same venues, such as at the dance hall where Maria and Tony meet; in the candy store when Riff and fellow Jets taunt and manhandle Bernardo's girl and Maria's mentor Anita; and in the rumble, when Tony (Romeo) stabs Bernardo (Tybalt) for stabbing Riff (Mercutio) and is shot by Chino (Paris).
Commentary about social division and hatred is in the background of plot movement and integrated into the musical numbers. On one level, the social divisions are personal, though tied to Jet-Shark rivalry, but that rivalry is also a proxy for racial division. Maria is newly arrived from Puerto Rico and set to marry her brother's friend Chino when the story opens. At the gym, Bernardo warns her against mixing with the "Americans," who want only one thing from a Puerto Rican girl. Later, discovering that Maria has fallen for Tony, "one of them," Anita warns her to "stick to your own kind . . . one of your own kind" (Sondheim and Lehman).
Racial division, while important to the action, is not the only way in which sociological themes surface in West Side Story. The fact that social hierarchies and entitlements are tied to race in the U.S. is pointed up in several ways, and the script takes the view that this is a destructive aspect of American life. In an early scene, acting on a tip that a rumble is about to take place, Lt. Schrank rousts the gang members, making ...