Octavio Gomez Character Analysis in There There

An Oakland drug dealer whose intimidating, tough demeanor masks a deep and fierce love for his family. Octavio has known great sorrow and loss throughout his life, losing his mother and brother in a car accident and his cousin Manny in a drug-related episode of violence. Octavio, himself in hot water with his higher-ups due to Charles and Carlos’s carelessness, comes up with a plan to rob the Big Oakland Powwow. Octavio hopes to use the money to pay his debts and improve things for his family, demonstrating that behind even terrible acts of violence, there are sometimes good intentions. The narrator of the novel’s thoughtful interlude expresses a kind of empathy for Octavio and his gang, suggesting that the bullets fired at the powwow have been traveling there for years and for miles—implying that there are uncountable and unknowable factors, missed connections, and twists of fate which lead any individual at the brink to take their final step off the ledge.

Octavio Gomez Quotes in There There

The There There quotes below are all either spoken by Octavio Gomez or refer to Octavio Gomez. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Cultural Identity vs. Personal Identity Theme Icon

[Calvin] looks over to Tony, who’s bouncing a little—he’s light on his feet like he’s ready to dance. Tony’s supposed to do the actual robbing. The rest of them are there in case anything goes wrong. Octavio never explained why he wants Tony in regalia, and why he should be the one to take the money. Calvin assumes it’s because someone in regalia would be harder to identify, and ultimately harder to investigate.

Related Characters: Calvin Johnson, Tony Loneman, Octavio Gomez

Page Number and Citation: 272

Explanation and Analysis:

Octavio Gomez Character Timeline in There There

The timeline below shows where the character Octavio Gomez appears in There There. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Interconnectedness, Coincidence, and Chance Theme Icon

One summer, Tony and his boss, Octavio, make good money procuring cocaine and selling it to white boys. Octavio is a hothead... (full context)

The night before the powwow, Octavio calls Tony to tell them that he needs to buy and plant the bullets for... (full context)

They arrive at someone’s house, but Calvin, disoriented, is uncertain of where they are. Soon, Octavio walks in, asking the “Charlos” what is going on. He diminutively refers to Charles and... (full context)

When Calvin snaps himself out of his reverie, he realizes that Octavio, Charles, and Carlos are all laughing and shaking hands. Charles inspects Octavio’s strange white gun,... (full context)

...tells Calvin that if he helps them, he can have a cut of the money. Octavio raises a glass and drinks to their plan, and Calvin, feeling cornered, drinks too. The... (full context)

Octavio Gomez returns to his grandma Josefina’s house one afternoon, feverish and depleted. Fina, as Octavio... (full context)

Octavio falls into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of the night the house he and his family... (full context)

...Manny and Daniel’s father returned home, they threw him out of the house. Manny and Octavio began stealing cars in rich neighborhoods, joyriding around in them for a while before parking... (full context)

One afternoon at Manny and Daniel’s, Fina called to talk to Octavio, and told him that Sixto had killed Octavio’s mother and brother in a car accident.... (full context)

Sixto brought Octavio down to the basement, where he lit a ceremonial plant on fire and blew the... (full context)

In many ways, Daniel thinks, Manny’s death was Octavio’s “fault”—and yet Octavio, Manny, and Daniel had become like brothers in recent years, and Octavio... (full context)

...online, he was able to secure the printer. Daniel tells Manny that he’s printed six guns—Octavio has paid him five thousand for all of them. Daniel is slightly worried about “what... (full context)

Calvin, Charles, Carlos, and Octavio eat breakfast at the Denny’s next to the coliseum. They are all quiet, worried about... (full context)

Daniel has begged Octavio to take him along to the powwow so that Daniel can see how it all... (full context)

Even though the guns are plastic, Octavio is nervous as he and his group go through the metal detectors. They make it... (full context)

Octavio springs into action, pointing his gun at Edwin and Blue. He is remarkably calm, Calvin... (full context)

...of gunfire, believing the others are shooting at him. Instead, he sees Carlos shooting at Octavio, and begins shooting at Carlos himself. After a couple shots, the trigger sticks and the... (full context)

Octavio Gomez Character Analysis

Octavio Gomez Quotes in There There

Part IV: Calvin Johnson (4) Quotes

Octavio Gomez Character Timeline in There There