Bodega Dreams

The characters’ struggles to reinvent and rename themselves reflect the larger reinvention of Spanish Harlem itself. At various points in the story, the history of Spanish Harlem is discussed, particularly the former Italian influence that is giving way to Latin influence. But no matter who is unofficially in charge, the NYC government is portrayed as distant and uncaring, concerned instead with the livelihoods of people in better neighborhoods. Because of this, Bodega’s message has that much more resonance with Chino and others. The people of el barrio will look not to a government agency to save them, but to a person with vision for the future. At the end of the story, Bodega is dead and Nazario has been jailed, but this leaves the neighborhood open for reinvention once more, perhaps at the hands of Sapo. Chino himself looks out at the neighborhood and sees not the drug abuse or petty crimes, but people who are energetic, vibrant and poised for a change. 

The flip side of renaming and reinvention is the resulting loss of identity. This is seen most poignantly in the junior high school Chino attends, which is named after the famous Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos. The entire time Chino is at the school, he doesn’t learn anything about de Burgos or study her poetry. Her influence on the school it is in name only. The schools don’t teach anything about Puerto Rican culture, which leads the students to not have respect for the school or themselves. 

Characters such as Veronica/Vera also exemplify this loss of identity, as she has become so completely removed from the culture of Spanish Harlem that she can pass for a wealthy white woman. In many ways, true success seems to mean moving away from the community and leaving it behind. At various points in the story, Chino seems willing to do this. At the end of the story, he again makes a connection with the culture of el barrio. 

The basic currency of el barrio is not necessarily money, but a complicated system of who-owes-whom. Chino refers to this as “basic, simple street politics: you want something from me then you better have something I need” (47). Some of these favors-in-waiting are years old, such as the favors Sapo collects from Chino, based on their time together in junior high. Favors, good deeds and kindnesses are never done out of a true sense of friendship or altruism, but on the ability to be able to collect at a crucial point in the future. Bodega claims to not want anything in return from the neighborhood except the people’s loyalty when he finds them housing and legal jobs, but loyalty on the street can come at a high price. Chino might have dismissed Bodega entirely and stuck to his initial plan of Blanca/work/school if not for what Bodega could give him—a larger apartment. Like in a system of blackmail, however, Chino is never able to truly repay this debt; there’s always another debt owed, with the promise that this is the last time.