Gang Violence In Electricidad

In the play Electricidad: a Chicano Take on the Tragedy of Electra Luis Alfaro tackles the Greek tragedy of Electra and mixes it with the reality of gang violence. While reading Text & Presentation I learned that Luis Alfaro was inspired by a girl that had killed her mother because of gang relations and by reading the Tragedy of Electra he concluded that revenge was a motivation in Greek times and even now. When the play was produced in 2006 the time was different than when the play was being written. This is important to note as the historical period is essential for the play.

For instance, Mr. Alfaro writes his plot around a family involved in gangs specifically the East Side Locos (which is a fictitious name). During 2002 when Luis Alfaro writes his play, Los Angeles was experiencing a critical gang violence increase. According to the New York Times, “ In the first two months of 2002, there were 63 gang-related homicides, more than triple the number for the same period two years earlier,” (Winter 2002). This is what Luis Alfaro is seeing in the world while he is writing this play and this is an underlying sentiment in the play. For example, Abuela, a character in Electricidad, warns Electricidad that staying in the Old Chola ways death becomes a fact of

The character Clemencia wants to change the cholo-hood’s patriarchal society. She wants to be able to make the major decisions and not have to do everything her husband tells her. She does this by killing her husband because Clemencia believes that by doing this she can start over and be in charge. Auggie dies and for Clemencia, that is freedom from being gang related and she plans her getaway to Pasadena. Ifigenia also escapes from the violence and she describes her time before going to the convent as a literal prison. Both of these women were affected by gang activity, Clemencia married into it and Ifigenia born into