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Forget the Alamo

Changing Stereotypes through Pilar Cruz in John Sayles Lone Star
From her very first scene the audience can see that Pilar Cruz, portrayed by the actress
Elizabeth Pea in John Sayles Lone Star, would not represent the stereotypes that are held by
most Hispanic women in not only film but in everyday life in general. Whether it is from her
teaching skills and the way in which she teaches, or her past relationships with white man, Pilar
certainly defies the roles that society associates with Hispanic women. From the parent teacher
conference scene we can see that she is not simply going to just lie down and let the townspeople
run all over her just because she is not white and as a result not part of the majority. Not only
does she stick up for her beliefs but her beliefs themselves are to show both sides of history to
her students. She does not choose to just show the Mexicans side of the war like the typical
stereotype would be and she also does not want to just show the white side of the war. Pilar
chooses otherwise to use an unbiased opinion when teaching her students, which has both sides
of the town in a frenzy and upset. This however shows her strength as a woman and gives her
character great importance in a film thats theme is about racism and different ethnicities
clashing. Her relationship and past with Sheriff Sam Deeds is something that definitely defies the
stereotype of Hispanic women. Not only has she had a relationship with a white man, but a man
who is held in high ranking in their community. With her open beliefs as a history teacher, her
courage and strength in the parent teacher conference, and her relationship with Sheriff Sam
Deeds the audience can clearly see the ways in which Pilar Cruz breaks the typical stereotypes
associated with Hispanic women during the time.
Initially, the audience is introduced to Pilar Cruzs character in the parent teacher
conference scene, where it is made immediately apparent of the personality and views that

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Director Sayles is hoping to show through her character. She was able to display something
that went completely against what is the standard stereotype of Hispanic women, especially in
film through the leadership that she showed during that meeting. The scene begins with a white
woman arguing that they are teaching all against the curriculum and making points for the whites
in the community. This could be Sayles way of pointing out what side has the first word and has
the most influence on the community. Before long a Mexican man interrupts her by standing up
for what he believes is right. Soon there is fight across the whole room, this is shown by a
camera shot that moves very rapidly from one person to the next straight on at each character.
The rapid movement of the camera causes subsequent blurs here and there which Sayles could be
using to symbolize the chaos and confusion that is present in that room and in the community. In
the middle of one of the white males arguments Pilar finally stands up out of her seat and
defends herself. As others in the room raise their voices so does she. Sayles shoots her at a low
angle shot creating a mood that puts her above the rest and shows her in a more dominant role.
This portion of the scene reiterates her leadership and once she makes her point, leaves with her
daughter. Even as parents from both sides of the story attacked her, she stood her ground and was
not going to give in just because some of the citizens disagreed with her. She shows her strong
leadership skills by trying to bring the two sides together to try and resolve their conflicts as
well. When the two sides begin to attack each others views Pilar stands in the middle ground
and explains that she would like to teach in a way that allows both sides to be seen by her
students.
As a result of her strong resilience in the parent teacher conference Pilar is able to
break another stereotype, this time through her teaching style, which is that she is able to be
of a different ethnic group from the majority and still teach with an unbiased opinion. During

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the times that the film is taking place, if a teacher were Mexican he/she would most likely teach
a side of history that favored the Mexicans, and if they were white they would teach according to
their individual ethnicity. Pilar on the other hand fights against history herself and tries to change
the way that things are. She stands up for what she believes in and believes that the only way for
history to be told is by what actually happened. History should be taught by the looking at it
from a perspective of neutral ground, and should not be about sides. When the typical and
stereotypical way of teaching would be to teach her students the past events of their community
and area through the eyes of her people (the Mexicans), Pilar chooses rather to present an
unbiased view of battles and struggles of the past. Her resilience to stand up to the people of the
community from both sides and her unbiased teaching strategies Pilar demonstrates profound
courage and is a symbolism for equality and leadership throughout the film. Director Sayles
reiterates the importance of her character in respects to changing stereotypes when stating that
Pilar is a history teacher for a purpose, including that meeting about how they're going to teach
history in the textbooks. (Sayles Interview) He places an irony on the fact that she is a history
teacher and the fact that it she serves as a symbol for change in history and the way that society
thinks about minorities and people that are not of their ethnicity. He uses a scene inside the
classroom, where Pilar is teaching to show that she teaches her way. The classroom is lit nicely
and it seems like a dark cloud has been lifted from the room after the parent teacher conference,
as she can now teach the right way without hearing arguments from both sides. He shoots this
scene more like a fly on the wall rather than in the perspectives of the students in the classroom
or Pilar herself. Sayles also makes a point about the way Pilar was raised when saying I think
people generally take the same-sex parent as their role model, and so here's Pilar finding out
about her family history very, very slowly. She may not even know that her mother was born in

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Mexico. Her mother may have said, "My people are down there, but I was born here," or "I
married your father and he was a citizen." Who knows what legend she's been told. Her mother is
very closed about that because in the culture in which she lives, there's a certain amount of
shame in being a mojado, a wetback. (Sayles Interview) Perhaps he is trying to say that her
strong opinion to teach in an unbiased manner is based off of the way that she feels about her
mother. She has seen both sides of the story and believes that the truth about history is the only
way to teach her students. Maybe she has seen what it has done to her mother and does not want
the same views to be cast upon the students that she has been put in charge of teaching.
Another way in which Pilar is shown breaking the stereotypes of women and many
other stereotypes of the society the world lives in, is in her relationship with Sheriff Sam
Deeds. Throughout the film the audience is given clues and shown flashbacks of the two being
together that suggest that they were somehow involved in some type of a relationship. This alone
would break several stereotypes based on the fact that he is white and she is a Mexican. The fact
that Sam stands in a high rank throughout their community also makes him highly unlikely to be
in a relationship with a Mexican woman like Cruz. A relationship like this would have been
highly talked about and most likely frowned upon by the others in the community. To make their
relationship even more of a controversy, by the end of the film the audience is presented with the
fact that Sam Deeds and Pilar Cruz come from the same father and are in fact brother and sister.
As a twist to the plot, Director Sayles chooses to have the two look past this issue and decide to
continue to build on this relationship. Sam and Pilars controversial relationship is seen several
times throughout the film. Most of the time the audience witnesses the two of them being
together is through flashbacks in their own minds. Sayles cross cuts between Sam and Pilar
simultaneously thinking about the encounter that they had with Buddy Deeds at the drive-in

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when they were much younger. The camera work and the reactions of the two characters as they
are being pulled apart and carried away from each other creates a mood of importance in this
scene. Their reactions of sadness once the memory is over of sadness lets the audience know that
they still have feelings for each other. The audience is also given a sense of what their past was
like when they were discussing their relationship down by the river. The audience can see that
they are obviously struggling with the stereotypes and societys views of what is right and wrong
when it comes to different ethnicities coming together and being together. Director Sayles also
gives his views on the confusing and or questionable relationship between the two by stating So
here are Sam and Pilar - they were raised separately, they're adults now, there's no question of
one being the older brother or the older sister and in some kind of position of power over the
other one, so it's a fairly equal relationship in that way. (Sayles Interview) Sayles comment
here leads into what is perhaps the most controversial scene in the whole film. It just happens to
be the final scene of the film and the scene that seems to make the biggest statement of all the
murderers and other scandals made up throughout the rest of the plot. This also marks what is the
most memorable scene as well. The two of them are discussing that they are in fact brother and
sister and what they should do with their relationship. Instead of going with what society would
see as proper and correct, Pilar pleads with Sam to not end things between them. She follows up
with what is the most meaningful line of the film Forget the Alamo (Lone Star Screenplay)
which not only symbolizes her and Sams decision to further their relationship even though it is
against their culture, but also symbolizes the theme of the film which is to move on from the past
and get over some of the views and stereotypes of the time. Her decision to continue on with the
relationship would create criticism and controversy in their community in the time that the film

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is based as well as now. That scene between Pilar and Sam generates a lot of questioning and
debate about the film itself and clearly brings out the general theme.
The film Lone Star by John Sayles certainly stands out as one of the few films that are
able to present several contradictions to stereotypes and challenge the history of society all the
while keeping an entertaining plot and not creating too much controversy. Sayles uses one of the
main characters Pilar Cruz as the basis of a changing view on typical actions by not only women
but Mexican women in society. Pilars character defies many general roles of women by standing
out in the community as a leader figure. She goes out of her way to stand up for what she
believes in and does not just give in to what other members of the community believe is right.
She also defies the role of Mexican women by not only being a teacher but also by teaching in a
way that is fair and treats both sides equally, something that was viewed as virtually impossible
and something that members of both her race and opposite races were clearly unable to
understand. Her stance in situations pertaining to education caused anger and controversy in the
school but she stood her ground. Sayles also uses her to attack relationship stereotypes and
whether people should be forced to only be paired up with someone from their own background
and ethnicity. Pilar Cruzs character in the film Lone Star symbolizes change and goes against
several stereotypes though her resilience in a parent teacher conference against white and
Mexican parents, her presence and role as a history teacher, and the relationship that she holds
with Sheriff Sam Deeds.

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Works Cited
Lone Star. Dir. John Sayles. Producer John Sloss. Screenplay by John Sayles. Perf. Chris Cooper,
Kris Kristofferson, Elizabeth Pea. Castle Rock, 1996.
Lone Star. Screenplay. Written by John Sayles.
West, Dennis, and Joan M. West. Borders and Boundaries:An Interview with John Sayles.
Cineaste 22.3 (Summer, 1996):14 -16 http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/sayles.html