Playwright Miguel Pinero wrote the play Short Eyes during his time in prison. The term used as a title of the play is a slang used in connection to pedophiles, more precisely as a name for child molesters.
The play is set in prison and it follows a day of the inmates when they are joined by a child molester called Clark. Clark confides to one of the prisoners about his inner turmoil, about his guilt regarding his urges and asks his listener, a Hispanic prisoner called Juan, for sympathy. Other inmates devise a plan to get rid of the pedophile, but all, except a white prisoner called Longshoe, give up in front of a helpless man. Longshoe ends up killing Clark and the officers of the prison let it slide. The play ends in an ultimate irony, with Clark not even being charged for pedophilia for lack of evidence. He was supposed to come out.
Short Eyes is a play that shows the dynamics of prisoners and guards and showcases the inner workings of prison as a world in itself. It explores themes of pedophilia, homosexuality, racial and religious identity.
