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
The next day, Julio goes to work, welcoming the distraction; he wants to cry when he thinks about Blanca. After work, Julio walks around to try and ease his sadness, and he bumps into Sapo. Sapo is proud of Julio for not cracking and spilling the beans to the police. Julio wants to distance himself from the situation, but Sapo takes him to meet Vera’s husband, John Vidal, whom Bodega and Vera are about to confront. Reluctantly, Julio introduces himself to Vidal, who seems “more American than Mickey Mouse” despite being a Latino. They sit and wait for Bodega, and Julio’s thoughts wander to Blanca: he wonders how he got embroiled in this mess, and he just wants her back. Eventually, Bodega and Vera walk in.
Quiñonez highlights that Sapo appreciates and respects Julio for his actions (like protecting him when talking to the police), reinforcing the idea that integrity and honoring the bonds of loyalty are closely intertwined in the Spanish Harlem community. Quiñonez’s phrase “more American than Mickey Mouse” shows that Vidal (like Vera) is a person who has internalized the racism he experienced and therefore believes what his oppressors think: that Latinx culture is inferior. So, he tries to hide or mask his Latinx identity, believing that looking white will make his life better.
Themes
Vera’s manages to blurt out that she’s leaving Vidal. She continues, cruelly saying that Vidal is old and doesn’t perform well in bed. Vidal gets angry and says that this is just one another one of Vera’s many affairs. At this, Bodega loses his temper and starts fighting with Vidal. Suddenly, Vera panics and shoots Vidal. He slumps to the floor, dead. Vera grows hysterical and begs Bodega to save her from prison. Without hesitation, Bodega calls Nazario—Bodega is going to take the blame for Vera. Julio thinks that Bodega is lost, but he numbly agrees to the plan. Bodega ushers Vera away, looks back, and tells Julio that he’s like a brother to him. It’s the last time Julio sees Bodega, because the next day, Bodega is dead.
Vera shooting Vidal is not part of Bodega’s plan, and Bodega has to act in the moment to remedy the situation. His loyalty to Vera is unwavering—he’s even willing to imprison himself for the rest of his life to protect her. Bodega similarly expresses a strong bond of loyalty to Julio when he turns around and calls Julio his brother as he walks away. With this, Quiñonez reinforces that Bodega values loyalty above else—even when it comes at a deep personal cost.
Themes
