Gangs Of New York Themes

The film, Gangs of New York (2002), directed by Martin Scorsese, is loosely based on Herbert Asbury's work, “The Gangs of New York: an informal history of the underworld” (1927). The film tells the story of a fictional character, Amsterdam, who is trying to avenge his father, who was killed in battle by the film’s main antagonist, William Cutting, also known as Bill the Butcher. The story is set in New York City in the mid-nineteenth century, specifically, at the infamous Five Points, which now makes up the modern day Chinatown. There are several significant historical events at the backdrop of the film–the Great Famine, the draft riots, and the Civil War–all events that have drastically impacted and shaped America’s identity and culture. Few
Scorsese brings to life the theme that America was born in the streets by focusing on aspects of the urban life that we all, to a certain extent, can associate with. The setting for this film is crucial – over the centuries, New York City has really become symbolic for the urban life, one that is associated with things, such as immigrants, poverty, violence, and corruption. It is interesting to note that if the film, for example, took place in Boston rather than New York, it would fail to get the message across despite Boston also being a major city in America with great historical significance. In this paper, I will examine the ways in which the theme of American being born on the streets is depicted throughout the film and argue that despite historical inaccuracies and the grandiose nature of the claim, there is much truth to Scorsese’s
They are told by the Nativists to get back on the boat and to go back to where they came from. Bill complains that the immigrants are taking all the jobs, he says, “I don't see no Americans. I see trespassers. Irish, who do jobs for a nickel...that niggers do for a dime...and a white man used to get a quarter for.” On the other hand, members of the Tammany Hall political machine are at the boarding area welcoming the immigrants with soup and handing them name cards to “Vote Tammany”. In addition to all this, military recruiters are also present on the scene. They pass out citizenship documents and ask the newly arrived immigrants to fight for their country. The immigrants are given a uniform and a musket and are loaded onto a different boat which is headed for Tennessee. This scene is significant because it not only supports the overarching theme, but it is also sheds light on a crucial aspect of American history. Few people are aware of the efforts during the Civil War by the Irish immigrants. Hundreds of thousands of Irish men joined the Union Army; the three Irish regiments, known as the “Irish Brigades” were all formed in New York City. They fought bravely and many sacrificed their lives – as one soldier wrote after the Battle of Fredericksburg, where 545 of the brigade’s 1,200 men were killed or wounded, “Irish blood and Irish bones cover that terrible field