
In Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, there are numerous examples of props being used instrumentally, metaphorically, culturally, and contextually. The most poignant example of prop usage is the metaphorical significance of Radio Raheem’s radio. Throughout the film, the radio distinguishes Radio Raheem’s character. However, it is not until the end of the film that one realizes how essential to the plot Raheem, and particularly his radio, will be. In this sense, the radio is the opposite of the money In Hitchcock's Psycho, which strings the viewer along only to be completely nonessential to the plot in the end. One could argue that the radio is a metaphorical prop through the entire film. However, its metaphorical significance is only realized after Sal smashes it. The silence of this scene often tricks viewers because they think that the dramatic smashing of the radio will cause the characters to snap back to reality and/or recognize that the pettiness of their argument is rooted in something bigger and deeper; the struggle between love and hate that Raheem mentions earlier in the film. One quickly realizes that this is not the case almost before Sal finishes his sentence. Instead, Sal’s comment about “killing” Raheem’s radio denotes that Raheem himself is also going to be killed. Even if one initially misses the foreshadowing behind this line—and also the destruction of the radio—it comes back to haunt you after Raheem’s death. Spike Lee’s use metaphorical use of the radio in Do the Right Thing is so profound because shocks the viewer and propels the narrative forward to the climax of the film.
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