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Book 2, Round 3
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
Blanca’s aunt Vera reinvented herself after leaving Spanish Harlem. She changed her name from Veronica Linda Salvina to Vera and dyes her hair blonde to seem less Puerto Rican. Her Miami friends though she comes from money. Presently, when Julio introduces himself to Vera, he sees how her beauty—like Blanca’s—must have caused a stir in the neighborhood when she was young. Julio is about to mention Bodega but notices Vera’s face suddenly going pale. Bodega is walking toward them, looking miserable, sweaty, and ill. Vera regains her composure and asks Bodega about the Lords. Bodega simply leads Vera to his fancy car before blurting out that it’s not rented. Vera looks impressed and laughs, and Bodega is happy.
Vera’s attempts to distance herself from her Latinx roots highlight another component of systemic oppression: internalized racism at play here. Vera has taken to heart the belief that people won’t respect her if they see her as a Latinx person, so she tries to mask her Spanish Harlem roots and pass as a rich white person. She changes her appearance to mimic the blonde hair of white people, shortens her name from Veronica Linda to Vera in an effort to sound more Americanized, and makes up a backstory that implies she grew up rich.
Themes
Julio, Vera, and Bodega all get into the car and drive to one of Bodega’s buildings. He explains that he’s in real estate now. Vera’s face starts glowing when Bodega says that the buildings aren’t his—they’re all for her. Bodega also shows Vera a gallery he’s bought for the neighborhood. Julio takes this as cue to leave them alone—but Bodega follows Julio out, panicking about being left alone with Vera. Julio urges Bodega to get back in there and tell Vera everything he always wanted to. Then, Julio walks home and falls asleep until he’s awoken by a loud knock on the door. It’s Vera and Bodega, sloppy and drunk—they want Julio to go to Central Park with them, though he has no intention of going.
In buying the gallery, Bodega shows that part of his plan to empower Spanish Harlem includes providing spaces to celebrate Latinx arts and cultural contributions. Vera’s demeanor is calm and controlled, while Bodega is anxious and unsure. Once again, this conflicts with the religious view of women as flustered, insecure people who need men’s guidance.
Themes
Julio imagines a teenage Bodega and Vera in Central Park talking passionately about freeing Puerto Rico from U.S. control and laying around in love. He also imagines Vera eventually growing tired of Bodega’s activist ambitions and asking Bodega to choose between the Young Lords and her. Bodega looks the same tonight—as if he’s invincible and can change the world. Vera coos at Bodega about wanting to shoot a gun with her revolutionary. She takes off her giant engagement ring and hands it to Julio, saying that she never wanted it. Bodega tells Julio to keep it—he’s going to buy Vera “a diamond as big as the Palladium.” They leave their half-drunk champagne on the table and walk off arm in arm, singing drunkenly.
Quiñonez’s plot is adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Quiñonez pays homage to Fitzgerald here in his use of the phrase “a diamond as big as the Palladium,” which is borrowed from Fitzgerald’s short story entitled “A Diamond as Big as the Ritz.” The allusion informs the reader that the story might not end well for Bodega, given that Gatsby (Bodega’s parallel in The Great Gatsby) ends up dead. However, in mentioning Bodega’s political dreams, Quiñonez also hints at a silver lining—namely, that Bodega’s ideals will survive in the community, even if Bodega himself doesn’t.
Themes
