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Book 1, Round 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Bodega Dreams, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Latinx Immigrants and Broken Dreams
Crime, Wealth and Activism
Religion, Sexism, and Poverty
Loyalty, Solidarity, and Community
Summary
Analysis
Julio narrates that Sapo is different: he’s not afraid to bite in a fight. Julio loves Sapo, but it’s all really about Bodega, who has a “blend of nobility and street”—as if God couldn’t decide if Bodega should be a leader or a thug. When news of Salazar’s death gets out, the neighborhood is somber. Julio guesses that Blanca got suspicious when the news reports mentioned biting—she’s seen Sapo’s bites.
It seems that the bite mark on Salazar’s body has something to do with Sapo, meaning he’s definitely involved in the murder. Quiñonez uses this plot point to pivot back to Julio and Sapo’s oppressive experiences in school—where the backstory for Sapo’s biting habit unfolds. On another note, Bodega’s “blend of nobility and street” further complicates the morality of Bodega’s actions for the reader, as Julio suggests that even God can’t reconcile Bodega’s criminal activities with his honorable intentions.
Themes
Julio thinks about his high school days: he recalls the English teacher Mr. Blessington, who tells the kids they’re going to end up in jail or become prostitutes. Julio hates Mr. Blessington’s upper-middle-class attitude, his obsession with Robert Frost, and the creepy way he looks at Blanca. The science teacher, Mr. Tapia, in contrast, encourages the kids. He thinks they’re lucky to be Latin and bilingual. One day, Sapo doesn’t do his homework and uses Mr. Blessington’s put-downs as an excuse, saying there’s no point. Mr. Tapia says that should give all the kids more motivation to do their homework—so they can prove Mr. Blessington wrong. Mr. Tapia says Rita Moreno and Reggie Jackson worked hard, and that’s what the kids have to do.
Quiñonez uses the character of Mr. Blessington to exemplify the systemic oppression faced by Latinx students in schools. Mr. Blessington’s racism and classism makes him think that Latinx culture offers nothing of value (which is why he only teaches white poets like Robert Frost). He also thinks that Latinx students are delinquents, which demotivates students like Sapo to bother with school. Mr. Tapia, on the other hand, exemplifies the immigrant teachers who try to motivate Latinx students (by citing successful Latinx role models like Rita Moreno and Reggie Jackson) to counteract the harmful impact of teachers like Mr. Blessington.
Themes
In the next English class, Julio asks why they have to study Robert Frost again, and not, say, Julia de Burgos, who’s also a poet. Mr. Blessington snaps back that this is English class, not Spanish class. He thinks that Robert Frost is a great American poet, that Julia de Burgos was a nobody, and that the school board was idiotic to name the school after her. When Mr. Blessington says that Sapo would be lucky to get into jail, Sapo lunges for Mr. Blessington, who starts choking Sapo. Blanca runs to get another teacher, and Mr. Blessington lunges for Blanca. That’s when Sapo bites Mr. Blessington, taking a giant chunk out of his shoulder and spitting the flesh in Mr. Blessington’s face. Mr. Blessington passes out.
It's clear that there are many Latinx literary figures that Mr. Blessington could draw on to motivate the predominantly Latinx student body, such as Julia de Burgos, the school’s namesake. Instead, he derides Latinx literary figures as irrelevant, which makes the students feel like Latinx people’s contributions to U.S. culture don’t matter. Mr. Blessington also abuses his power by choking Sapo and lunging for Blanca, which further exposes the oppression that Latinx children face in schools because of racist people like Mr. Blessington. Meanwhile, the reader learns that Sapo does indeed bite people, solidifying his potential connection to Salazar’s murder.
Themes
Mr. Tapia runs in and tells Sapo to pretend he heard voices, because nobody will believe that Mr. Blessington attacked him. Sapo follows this advice and spends the year seeing a psychiatrist instead of going to Juvenile Hall. Julio recalls that after that year, Sapo drops out and becomes fearless. Sapo stabs people in fights, and he’s not afraid to hurt people who want to make him hate himself. Julio reflects that Blanca never forgot the day Sapo bit Mr. Blessington.
Mr. Tapia’s response to the situation shows that the immigrant teachers like himself have little power in the school environment, as no one will believe him if he stands up for Sapo. He also exposes how Latinx students can be unfairly criminalized in school environments. This state of affairs makes Sapo lose respect for the school environment and drop out. Quiñonez thus argues that the oppression faced by Latinx immigrant children in schools often forces them into delinquency.
Themes
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Presently, at breakfast in their apartment, Blanca asks Julio if Sapo killed Salazar. Blanca thinks it’s strange that there are no drug dealers around their block, and she worries that Julio knows something she doesn’t. Julio lies and says Sapo would never do something like that since he’s just a petty criminal, but Blanca doesn’t buy it. Blanca mentions that Pastor Velasquez is coming to dinner with Claudia next Friday, and she expects Julio to be there. Suddenly, the phone rings: it’s Nene, reminding Julio that Vera is arriving tomorrow. Julio decides then and there that this will be the end of his business with Bodega. Just then, the news comes on—the newscaster mentions Salazar, which makes Blanca tense.
When Blanca hears the news about Salazar’s murder, she realizes immediately that Sapo was involved: the bite mark on Salazar’s shoulder reminds her of the bite that she saw Sapo give Mr. Blessington years ago in school. Julio once again privileges his loyalty to Sapo over his relationship with Blanca, showing that he will not put Sapo at risk, even if it negatively affects his own marriage to a woman he deeply loves.
Themes
