So, what do you think happens to Maria? - West Side Story (1961) Discussion

[–] wmlopez 10 years ago

She gets into heroin and becomes a hooker.

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[–] luckyluvr22 10 years ago

I think her, her parents, and Anita go back to PR, because they see that all there was in the US was pain and tragedy.

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[–] friendoffilm 10 years ago

This:

I think her, her parents, and Anita go back to PR, because they see that all there was in the US was pain and tragedy

is a possibility, but who knows??

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[–] noirgirl 9 years ago

Since the end of the story shows (esp. with the lifting of Tony's body) that they all grew up and learned a terrible lesson about hatred and bigotry. I think she mourned Tony for a while, but ended up marrying one of the Jets like BabyJohn who was kind and gentle, and also a link to Tony. Anita, I think married another of the Sharks and stayed a seamstress, since I don't think she ever was able to let go of her hatred and resentment. She made it quite clear in the rooftop dance scene that she had no desire to be in Puerto Rico.

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[–] pontevedro 9 years ago

One of the prior posters suggested that Maria committed suicide, as in R&J. Indeed, Maria's suicide was included in the musical version of West Side Story until very close to its first performance. Apparently, the scene was removed at the suggestion of Richard Rodgers as being unnecessarily dark.

Also, I think that the peace that appears after Tony's death can only be regarded as temporary at best. The gangs will be back at odds within the week. The best you could hope for might be that a few gang members might give up gang life in reaction. But many or most would continue on.

Sorry to be so bleak. But this drama is definitely not a musical "comedy" - it's a musical tragedy.

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[–] friendoffilm 9 years ago

Also, I think that the peace that appears after Tony's death can only be regarded as temporary at best. The gangs will be back at odds within the week. The best you could hope for might be that a few gang members might give up gang life in reaction. But many or most would continue on.

Sorry to be so bleak. But this drama is definitely not a musical "comedy" - it's a musical tragedy.

To each their own, George-E-Borden, but I think that there were plenty of funny parts of West Side Story that made the audiences laugh, as well as the sad, tragic moments.

As for the truce between the Jets and Sharks being temporary, who knows whether or not it would be? One of the beauties of this great, golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic film is that whether the truce between the Jets and Sharks is permanent or temporary is basically left to the audiences' imagination(s). The fact that several Jets and Sharks came together to carry off Tony's body in the end, after he'd been shot and killed by Chino hints of possible reconciliation in the future. Perhaps the gangs came to their senses and stopped all the senseless hatred and fighting right away, or perhaps it took a long time afterwards for them to do so.

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[–] pontevedro 9 years ago

Sure there are comic elements to the story but in terms of dramatic form, it's a tragedy.

As for the gangs, it's possible that peace breaks out, of course. In R&J, the Montagues and Capulets are reconciled. There's room for hope. But nothing has changed the social and economic factors that made the gangs appealing to the boys. So I expect that many or most will remain in the gangs. Even if the Jets and Sharks are at peace, there will soon be another rival gang. We've still got gangs 50+ years later.

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[–] friendoffilm 9 years ago

You have made some good, interesting points about gangs, George-E-Bowdenj.

This:

There's room for hope.

is an important message that West Side Story conveys to people; that the possibility of intergroup reconciliation among people, as remote as if often seems (and is), and as difficult as it can be, are still possible, if one looks at the fact that many people from different racial, ethnic and religious groups here in the United States can and do also become friends, and there's a substantial amount of inter-dating and even inter-marriage among different racial, religious and ethnic groups--more than there used to be.

One big reason, I think, that West Side Story appeals to so many people (myself included), is the fact that it's still quite relevant, even today, especially because they occur in real life, not only here in the United States, but throughout the world: the intergroup mingling that occurs alongside of and despite the presence of racial/ethnic tensions, urban gang warfare, and the constant fighting among groups, and even among countries.

Yes, we do still have gangs, and the socioeconomic factors still exist, but now, in real life, gangs are even more ruthless, and disputes among gangs are far more likely to be carried out and settled with guns, rather than fisticuffs and/or switchblade knives. Police departments in our society have also become more militarized than they were back when West Side Story first came out, and was the most popular, but the fact that I've attended many well-attended screenings of this great golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic film still indicates that West Side Story is very popular, even nowadays.

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[–] pontevedro 9 years ago

an important message that West Side Story conveys to people; that the possibility of intergroup reconciliation among people, as remote as if often seems (and is), and as difficult as it can be, are still possible

It depends on how you look at it. It's a pretty sad message if you consider that it took the deaths of three people to get them to the point that it might be possible.

I don't think that Robbins/Laurents/Bernstein/Sondheim/Prince's primary intent was to suggest that there was hope. Instead, they were trying to dramatize the very real consequences of street gangs, which were just then coming into public awareness. So they were looking for some shock value. They left room for hope at the end because they didn't want the musical to be a total bummer. As I said in my earlier post, there was apparently a scene where Maria kills herself, which was removed just before the musical's first tryouts in Washington DC.

They almost certainly didn't believe the gang problem was going to fix itself from within. Rather they probably wanted more outside resources devoted to the problem and a more consistent studied approach taken. "Gee, Officer Krupke" is a pretty funny song, but it also dramatizes the very conflicting approaches taken by authorities to "juvenile delinquency." The conflicting approach problem remains today, although the term "juvenile delinquency" is passé.

They also wanted a success - I suspect that if Maria's suicide had remained in the play, the musical would have closed after a month or so. There would have been critical acclaim for the innovative approaches taken. But it wouldn't have been a success with the audiences. A film version wouldn't have been very likely - if filmed maybe they would have changed the ending. Then we'd have a thread about how the film was unfaithful to the original musical. 😉

The filmmakers left room for hope because they knew they had to in order for the movie/musical to succeed. But I guess my point is that in realistic terms there probably wasn't much reason for hope. People were dying then in gang violence and they continue to do so today in even greater numbers. Some people may leave the gangs as a result of their friends' deaths, but mostly the gangs continue on. If anything, a death seems just to incite violent revenge (as Tony avenged Riff).

As for Maria, she's undergone a pretty severe trauma. I found laughable the suggestions in earlier posts that she'd get over it, just as the posters had moved on from their first boyfriends. It's one thing to move on when you and your boyfriend broke up. It's another thing entirely when your boyfriend has been shot to death in your arms.

I like this movie a lot. I want to believe that the characters leave violence behind and that Maria lives to find happiness. I'm just not sure that's a very realistic hope.

I agree with you that the film seems quite relevant today and that may be part of its continued appeal.

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] shadaif 8 years ago

Chino went to jail for Tony's murder. My guess is she became a nun.

"The end of the shoelace is called the...IT DOESN'T MATTER!"

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[–] ElizabethJoestar (946) 7 months ago

I always figured she mourned Tony but eventually moved on with her life. Of course, even if she married, Tony would still have a special place in her heart.

A boring answer, but the most likely one.

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