The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams

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Theodore Roosevelt claims that “probably the greatest harm done by vast wealth is the harm that we of moderate means do ourselves when we let the vices of envy and hatred enter deep into our own natures.” The former President of the United States emphasizes that greed is an obstacle to the good working of modern societies. The novels, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiñonez portray that the greatest harm is made up of vast wealth. In the Great Gatsby, the protagonist, Jay Gatsby has made his wealth and gained his made-up sense of celebrity through bootlegging. In Bodega Dreams, the main character, Willie Bodega also sells illegal drugs. The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams are similar because both Gatsby and Bodega earn their money by selling illegal items, they are madly in love with somebody and want them to tell that they never love their husband, and both protagonists are murdered in cold blood.
First, both Gatsby and Bodega earn their money by selling illegal items. To specify this point, Gatsby becomes the rich by bootlegging during the Proh...

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