Primo’s white liberal boss at the magazine where he briefly works in the mail room. She is worried about him answering the phone or interacting with customers because of his accent, which shows how racism is embedded in the dominant corporate culture—something that makes it even harder for inner-city residents and people from minority groups to break into the legal economy. Bourgois sees some of her actions—like her advice that Primo go back to school and her strict instructions about how to carry out tasks—as well-intentioned attempts to help Primo succeed in the office. However, given his frame of reference based in street culture, Primo rejects Gloria’s behavior as insulting to his masculinity, personally affronting, and even flirtatious.
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Gloria Character Timeline in In Search of Respect
The timeline below shows where the character Gloria appears in In Search of Respect. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4: "Goin Legit": Disrespect and Resistance at Work
...the Office,” Bourgois recounts Primo’s difficulties working in a mail room at a magazine, like Gloria, the boss who calls him “illiterate” (he has to look up this word in the...
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...that Primo and Caesar were particularly offended by having to answer to female bosses like Gloria, because of “the machismo of street culture.” They understand the corporate hierarchy—when he works in...
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...pleas do not save his job. He simply does not understand his bosses, like when Gloria tries to convince him to go to school. He lacks a “frame of reference to...
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...to prepare at the magazine, often at night and always under highly specific instructions from Gloria. He hates that she checks his work, offers to buy him food, and forces him...
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