Tattoo the Wicked Cross by Floyd Salas

First published: 1967

Type of plot: Social realism

Time of work: After World War II

Locale: Golden Gate Institute of Industry and Reform, a prison farm in California

Principal Characters:

• Aaron D’Aragon, a fifteen-year-old boxer and gang leader sent to the boys’ prison farm for fighting
• Barneyway, a former gang member and Aaron’s good friend, also in prison
• Buzzer, a large black youth who is brutal and vengeful
• Rattler, a follower of Buzzer
• Judith, Aaron’s girlfriend
• Big Stoop, a brutal giant, the commanding officer of the prison farm
• The prison chaplain, a Protestant minister

The Novel

Floyd Salas’s Tattoo the Wicked Cross takes place in a boys’ prison farm. The novel is divided into ten parts. As Aaron D’Aragon enters the prison, he sees its sign: Golden Gate Institute of Industry and Reform. The prison looks almost like a cemetery, and the entrance resembles the “pearly gates” of heaven. Aaron has been sent to prison for gang fighting. The story encompasses approximately six months and shows the changes that Aaron goes through during that time. He changes from an idealistic, religious youth who believes in God and honor to one who learns that to survive he must change and learn a different code of honor. He learns that in prison there is a code that must be followed: One does not snitch, and one takes care of oneself.

Aaron is apprehensive when he arrives at the prison. His good friend Barneyway is in prison, and Aaron is looking forward to seeing him. Part 1 is titled “Dead Time,” referring to the stage of a prison sentence during which an inmate is not yet acclimated to prison life. Aaron is placed in a cell with a limited view of the prison and other inmates. He hears people but cannot see them, and his food is brought to him. While in this cell, he discovers that someone has carved a heart with the message Richie De La Cruz + Eva, Richard of the Cross and Eve. Along with the heart is a pachuco cross with three lines, suggesting rays of light emanating from it. From his initial contacts with other inmates, he learns about prison and also learns he must be cautious, especially when inquiring about his friend Barneyway.

In part 2 “Buddies and Bad Actor,” he learns that Buzzer rules the prison ruthlessly and brutally and that he sodomizes whomever he wishes. When Aaron learns that Barneyway is one of Buzzer’s victims and has become a “queen,” he becomes determined not to be a victim.

In the third through eighth parts, Aaron learns of the brutalities occurring in the prison and must make decisions about how to respond. Aaron’s family visits him and encourages him to do what they believe is right. They tell him to avoid trouble and do his time quietly. Aaron’s girlfriend, Judith, gives him hope in a seemingly hopeless brutal place.

Aaron finds himself in a dilemma: How can he live up to his ideals and beliefs if he is beaten and sodomized by Buzzer? Aaron does not want to be a hapless victim like Barneyway. He wants vengeance but cannot seek it while remaining true to his Catholic faith.

Judith appears for one of her visits with a tattoo on her cheek. Because she has a tattoo, Aaron now views her as lost, no longer the ideal pure person who gave him hope. His faith was already slipping because he was angry with God for taking his mother; now his girlfriend has been taken away from him.

Part 9 prepares the background for the final chapter. Aaron is in the prison hospital recovering from a savage beating and rape by Buzzer and his gang. He is aware that he has been beaten badly but knows that he fought bravely. At this point he does not know that he has been “gang banged.” When he is told, he does not feel anger; he only feels shame. He is asked for the names of the people who jumped him. He says he does not know. Barneyway visits Aaron, and Aaron says he must make sure that Buzzer does not bother them again. It is then that he decides he must have revenge.

Buzzer and his gang attack Aaron again. Hot with anger, he remembers that there is poison in the supply room to feed Buzzer and his gang. He pours the white powder into the soup. Buzzer dies a horrible death in the chapel, but Barneyway also dies of poisoning.

Tattoo the Wicked Cross ends with part 10, “Good Time.” Aaron’s revenge does three things for him: He has gotten back at Buzzer, has earned the respect of his fellow inmates, and will finally be left alone. He is a mass murderer, but because he is a minor, he is not sentenced to the gas chamber or a state prison. He will remain in the institute doing “good time,” remaining on his best behavior.

The Characters

The story is told from Aaron’s perspective. Aaron is the most developed of all the characters. He must pit his survival skills against the other youths and against the prison itself. He is an individual with convictions. His interior monologues let the reader know how he feels about his prison experience. Initially, he is cautious in his contacts with other prisoners. No matter how he feels inside, he does not let others know his inner feelings. His introspection and analysis of his circumstances moves the story along briskly.

Barneyway, Aaron’s friend, has succumbed to prison life and become a “queen” as a result of Buzzer’s brutish force. Although Barneyway is not the same forceful person he was outside prison, Aaron still wants him as a friend. He finds it painful to see what has happened to Barneyway. Barneyway’s characterization shows the reader what happens to some youths in prison and the kind of adaptation sometimes necessary to survive.

Buzzer shows how cruel a person can become when there is nothing holding him back. Prison rewards Buzzer for his large size and lack of a conscience. The most developed characteristics of Buzzer are his cruelty and ruthlessness. He has acquired precisely those characteristics that the prison tries to eliminate. There is no pretense of rehabilitation for him. Buzzer’s almost unchecked power is seen each time he comes into the reader’s view. He is evil personified.

Although Rattler can strike and kill, and although he is sly and slick, he is only a follower of Buzzer. Rattler’s role is essential in that he represents those who are loyal to power; Buzzer is the power.

Judith, Aaron’s girlfriend, personifies influences outside the prison. Outsiders represent hope for those inside. Aaron loses hope after seeing Judith’s tattooed cheek. She is no longer a symbol of the purity and virtue possible in the outside world.

Big Stoop, the commander of the institute, represents the brutal power of the institution. He provides the connection between the ultimate power of the institution and the inmates. He also represents the militaristic power of the state.

The prison chaplain represents false hope. It is through the chaplain’s inaction that the reader learns what kind of person he is. He is supposed to, but does not, provide spiritual hope for the inmates. He proves to be a lackey for the prison, informing on the “flock” to the authorities.

Critical Context

Tattoo the Wicked Cross is an important novel because it deals with universal themes of honor, faith, good and evil, survival, and identity. Much of the fiction by Latinos and Chicanos during the 1960’s deals with their experiences with authority figures such as the police, the church, schools, and parents. Fiction of that period also addresses issues of poverty, insufficient social and health services, lack of education, and discrimination. Although Salas’s novel touches on some of these concerns, he has concentrated on the environmental factors that send young people to prison and what happens to those youths while they are incarcerated. Salas’s novel speaks eloquently and graphically about the injustices of the penal system, especially as it concerns youthful offenders. Placing them in prisons does not rehabilitate them; it corrupts them. It turns youths into incorrigibles unfit for society.

Salas’s book gives the reader a glimpse of the penal system that destroys youth. He speaks from some of his own experiences in a youth camp. Since publication of his books, there has been a movement to treat youthful offenders with an eye toward rehabilitation rather than punishment. Perhaps Salas’s book has influenced some members of the penal and judicial system.

Tattoo the Wicked Cross, Salas’s first published novel, set him apart from other Latino and Chicano writers of the time. The novel set the tone of his writing, which rebelled against the literary world. Two other works that show his rebellious bent are the novels What Now My Love (1969) and Lay My Body on the Line (1978). He writes about issues that concern him, even though the resulting works may not readily find publishers. He remains true to himself and to his art.

Tattoo the Wicked Cross was honored with the Henry Joseph Jackson Award and Eugene F. Saxton Fiction Fellowship. The novel was reissued in 1981, and it was translated into French in 1969 and into Spanish in 1971. Salas’s recognition as a writer goes beyond the sphere of Latino and Chicano writing, but his works are becoming part of the canon of Latino and Chicano literature.

In addition to writing Latino fiction, Salas has also published poetry and numerous essays on the craft of writing. In 1986, he edited Stories and Poems from Close to Home, a collection of writings by San Francisco Bay writers, and in 1992 he published Buffalo Nickel: A Memoir, an autobiography that reads like a novel. Although his roots are Latino, of Spanish stock, he has not limited his writings. He has contributed much to Latino literature, but his writings are truly contributions to the wider American literature.

Bibliography

Bruce-Novoa, Juan. Chicano Authors: Inquiry by Interview. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1980. In the introduction, Bruce-Novoa examines the position that Salas’s novels hold within Chicano literature. The book as a whole offers a good perspective on Chicano literature and the concerns of Chicano writers.

Haslam, Gerald. Forgotten Pages of American Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. The section titled “Viva La Raza: Latino American Literature” offers a good commentary on Salas’s work within the framework of Chicano literature. Haslam discussed the problem of placing a Spanish American writer with Chicano writers even though the main character in Tattoo the Wicked Cross is depicted as a Chicano.

McKenna, Teresa. “Three Novels: An Analysis.” Aztlán 1 (Fall, 1970): 48-49. McKenna’s analysis includes three writers: Richard Vasquez, Raymond Barrio, and Floyd Salas. Her analysis includes Salas’s Tattoo the Wicked Cross, which she sees as concerning rites of passage. She also does an analysis of language use to show Aaron D’Aragon’s inward perception. A good analysis for the reader who wishes to see how Salas uses language to develop the character.

Salas, Floyd. Buffalo Nickel: A Memoir. Houston: Arte Publico Press, 1992. An eloquent and revealing autobiographical account that centers on the relationship Salas had with his brother, Al. Discusses his various fictional works, including the highly acclaimed Tatoo the Wicked Cross.

Salas, Floyd. “An Interview with Floyd Salas.” Interview by Gerald Haslam. MELUS 19 (Spring, 1994): 97-112. This informative interview with Salas explores his background, the cultural and social influences on his writing, his literary style, thoughts on boxing and fighting, family relationships, and insights into his works. Although Tatoo the Wicked Cross is not specifically discussed, this article offers a solid overview of Salas’s career.

Shirley, Carl R., and Paula W. Shirley. Understanding Chicano Literature. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1988. Chapter 3 briefly discusses sixteen Latino writers who have had considerable influence on the contemporary Latino novel. The chapter gives the reader a quick overview of the place of Salas’s work within Latino literature.

Tatum, Charles M. Chicano Literature. Boston: Twayne, 1982. In the introduction to chapter 5, “Contemporary Chicano Novel,” Tatum offers a brief historical overview of Chicano literature since 1959. Part of Tatum’s discussion includes Tattoo the Wicked Cross. His comments center on the personality of Aaron D’Aragon, the inner conflicts of nonviolence as taught by his religious beliefs, and his survival in the brutal prison system. The book provides a synopsis of the Chicano novel and its development.