Examples Of Sacrifice In Bodega Dreams

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People sacrifice their most beloved things in order to achieve success. In the novel, Bodega Dreams, by Ernesto Quinonez, characters sacrifice their most precious beloved things to succeed in Spanish Harlem. The Puerto Rican community of Spanish Harlem in New York City expresses how immigrants deal with their hardships to go against the society’s ideals of the white privilege. The protagonist, Julio (a.k.a Chino), gives his point of view as he deals with his relationship and contributing to the illegal drug business which was led by William Bodega. Throughout the novel, sacrifice is represented in the developments of love, business, and culture in the Spanish Harlem community.

Sacrifice was represented by elaborating how relationships between …show more content…

The community reputation was atrocious before Bodega started to rebuild the community, “You lived in projects with pissed-up elevators, junkies on the stairs, posters of the rapist of the month, and whores you never knew where whores until you saw men go in and out…” (Quinonez 4&5). However, Bodega dreamt for Spanish Harlem to not be viewed as a poor standard neighborhood because that would support the society’s white privilege community point of view of them being able to renovate the neighborhood. He was afraid that they would enter the Spanish Harlem community to remodel it to another high valued community that would lead for the immigrants to be kicked out of there. The Spanish Harlem community was sacrificing itself to better themselves, “The Young Lords were Beautiful, Chino, El Barrio was full of hope and revolution was in the air. We wanted jobs, real jobs. We wants education, real education….” (Quinonez 33). The people were sacrificing their morality as they were ready to prove their worth in life to succeed. Bodega created a new business that led to the future of the Spanish Harlem community, “The Harry Goldstein Real Estate Agency. I run the most humanitarian housing management company in New York City.” (Quinonez 35). The new agency was a port for the most in need people to be able have an opportunity in life. This agency was a cover up for Bodega’s …show more content…

It describes the immigrants point of view as they sacrifice their most beloved things. Bodega and Chino risked their love ones in order to help other people and the community. Relationships throughout the story elaborated the sacrifice that they went through to better the community. The relationship between the Chino and Blanca demonstrates that they sacrificed themselves for the better outcome of their upcoming baby. Sacrifice was also demonstrated through the business in the community being overpowered by Bodega to ensure that the white supremacy did not change the Puerto Rican community. Sacrifices that the characters made affected the development of the community of Spanish Harlem. El Barrio transformed its bad reputation to a well-know and conservative community. People give up their most precious loving memories to ensure their or someone else

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