Bodega Dreams Summary

In the novel, Bodega Dreams there are many moments and times when the people of Spanish Harlem experience the oppression against them during the 80’s. This novel focuses on the oppression, crime and poverty affect the people who grew up in Spanish Harlem.

For the sake of a better cause, people give up to some degree substantial feelings or belongings in life. In the novel, Bodega Dreams, by Ernesto Quinonez, characters sacrifice their most precious beloved things to succeed in East Harlem. The Puerto Rican community of East Harlem in New York City expresses how immigrants deal with their hardships to keep the white supremacy out of their community. The protagonist, Julio (a.k.a Chino), gives his point of view as he deals with his relationship and contributing to the community’s drug company led by William Bodega. Throughout the novel, Sacrifice is represented in the developments of love, business, and culture in the East Harlem community.

Psychodynamic therapists find that free association is helpful in treating their clients because it allows them to say whatever comes to mind. The client is encouraged to talk about anything and everything seeing as it may help them accept any kind of limitations or discord they may have. This process of treatment would not be the best route for Antwone’s therapist to take. Antwone struggles in creating conversation out of nothing and when it comes to talking about his issues, that process is no different.

In the book Bodega Dreams, the author Ernesto Quiñonez talks about a scenario in East Harlem that is filled with controversy and dilemma. Narrator and main character Chino, is forced to perform endless tasks for William Bodega, a character who hopes for the better of the community while also trying to chase love. At the same time though, he is trying to make the best out of his relationship, preparing to be a father, and attempting to do well in school. In the end, Chino realizes that he is being manipulated by a different person trying to gain the love Bodega wanted, costing Bodega’s life and accomplishments, while also costing Chino his time and marriage. Bodega Dreams is ultimately a story of tragedy, as demonstrated with the betrayal and murder of Willie Bodega, by his trusted colleague and best friend, Edwin Nazario.

At first he was characterized as being silent and and isolated , by the end of the story, he became more sure of himself and starting accepting/embracing his culture which shows the reader that he has finally learned the truth. Jin Wang who was bullied for being Chinese in a white American culture just wanted to fit in with the other white kids. He doesn't have any confidence in himself and is constantly worried with trying to fit in with his peers, which leads him to start changing things about himself. Over the course of the novel he becomes friends with Wei-Chen and has a crush on a girl named Amelia but both of those things end up turning left as he starts to realize more. There was one simple goal; to fit in.

“More than by force do they dominate us, by deception” were the words of Latin American revolution leader, Simon Bolivar. The Latin American revolution was a fight for independence from Spain, their mother country. In the colonies people were divided into different social groups. Beginning with the higher-classes the different classes were Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattos, Indians and lastly slaves. The Creoles, American-born Spaniards, led this revolution for three reasons: desire of political control, to provide protection for their economic interests, and their fear towards social unrest.

As a mix of diverse people gave rise to a new social structure and introduced a cultural blending in the Spanish empire, located in Latin America, eventually a growing population of lower-classed non-white people became angered at the privileges of the whites. Being denied the status, wealth and power that were given to whites, the mestizos and the mulattoes resented the Spanish. Masses of enslaved Africans and the many populations that were looked down upon suffered economic misery and longed for freedom, eventually leading revolutions across Latin America. Those revolted were motivated by love for one’s race and freedom, like what Father Miguel Hidalgo says in Document A of the Latin American DBQ, “we are not Europeans; we are not Indians;

Did you know that the way a person talks to someone can reflect that person’s identity? We can see this in the book “Bodega Dreams” by Ernesto Quinonez. The protagonist Julio Mercado, better known as Chino, is a young man who grew up in a neighborhood in East Harlem which is not so good. He is also currently in college and expecting a baby with his wife Nancy Saldivia, also known as Blanca. He has a best friend named Enrique also known by Sapo, and they have been best friends since Junior High School. He also works with a former drug lord named William Bodega who is advocating to help change the neighborhood in East Harlem. Chino’s voice reflects the different aspects of his identity by changing whenever he talks to his best friend Sapo,

Because of the corruption of the upper class, the working class then require government aid, thus creating unstable communities causing even more government aid to be needed. Families need a fair and justice government to support the poor because if they don’t, then who will? In the poem “Speaking With Hands”, the character Mama symbolizes the dignity of latino women faced with an oppression so large and a weight so excruciating it was literally like the world on her shoulders. (Rodriguez) This is similar to the Greek mythological story of Atlas who is responsible for bearing the weight of the entire planet for all

Thesis Statement: Dreams are successions of images, emotions, and sensations that occur subconsciously during sleep.

Pamela Cummins dreams are absolutely wild; such as being shot in the head, a man with two penises, talking to animals, and visiting with dead loved ones. She learned how to interpret her dreams from a professional to help heal childhood issues in the early nineties. Pamela loves interpreting her clients and radio show listeners fascinating dreams. She is the columnist for the monthly In the Dreamtime for Bellesprit Magazine. For more information, please visit

Dreams come in all shapes and forms. Every dream experience falls into one of the following categories: Prophetic Dreams, Release Dreams, Wish Dreams, Informative and Problem solving dreams, and Astral Visits. So many people take dreams for granted or think they do not mean anything, but they do. Dreams are incredible when you learn what they are, mean and why we dream at all.

In this image there is Queen Mab standing over a sleeping girl who is dreaming about love. The hearts in the dream cloud represent the girl, who is sleeping, dreaming about love. Queen Mab is standing and looking over this girl as she brings these dreams of love to her. In The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio talks about how Queen Mab is the bringer of dreams and how these dreams are a reflection of that person’s individual passions and desires. This picture represents a lover who is dreaming about her desire of love. Queen Mab is standing over her bringing her sweet dreams of love because that is her greatest desire. Mercutio states that queen Mab puts dreams of love, “through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love,” (I. iv. 71).

In the novel, Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M Coetzee, the magistrate’s progressive, non-linear dreams are a parallel to his growing involvement with the barbarians and his growing distaste for the empire. The great psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud said, “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious.” In every dream there is a hidden meaning and when the reader starts analyzing the magistrate’s dreams he reveals that he is oddly attracted to the barbarians and knows he should not get involved and it will be a trial to get close to them.

Sometimes people take corruption to gain wealth or to get higher. ‘’Like a Bad Dream’’