Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Quotes about Sapo

"I loved Sapo.  I loved Sapo because he loved himself.  And I wanted to be able to do that, to rely on myself for my own happiness."(3)

This quote shows Chino's need for guidance as a young person and how important Sapo was in his growth as a person.  Chino wanted to love himself and feel fulfilled in what he did just like Sapo was able to.  This quote also sets the reader up for the rest of the book to show Chino's reliance and care for Sapo.

"'You back down once,' Sapo had told me, 'and you'll be backin' down f' the rest of your life.'"(4)

This quote shows the way Sapo shaped Chino to survive on the streets.  It shows that the only life Sapo knows is the life of the streets, and that he is unwilling to let his guard down. This helps explain why later in the story Sapo always turns to Chino for help.

"Sapo was the same around everybody, it didn't matter if it was the president of the United States or some junkie, Sapo was himself.  He was that way around any girl too.  See, there were girls in the neighborhood that you could curse around, act stupid, and all that, and then there were girls that you just didn't.  Sapo couldn't care less."(8)

This quote shows even further how Chino looked up to Sapo.  Chino was seeking an ability to be independent and be himself.  Because Sapo had that independence, Chino admired him and looked up to him.

"'Chino,' he said when he saw me start to walk toward the roof's door again. 'I just wanted to know if you remembah, cuz you my only friend.'  In his own way Sapo was telling me that his childhood memories were important to him.  And a large part of them were made up of times with me.  'I remembah,' I said'"(205).

This quote shows a different side to Sapo because you can see that Chino was just as important to him as he was to Chino.  This shows that his rough and tough exterior isn't as true as it may have seemed earlier in the story.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012


Quotes

“I know I was to be the link between Bodega And Vera. I was determined to fulfill my part of the deal, once Bodega and Vera met I was completely free. I would sever all ties to bodega.” (97)

As a part of Chino’s deal with Bodega he had to find Vera and re-introduce them. Although Chino never wanted to get involved with bodega, Bodega put up an offer to give chino and Blanca a bigger place to live. Of course chino couldn’t turn it down because the of the baby on the way. Then the death of the Alberto Salazar which made chino more want to just his part and never get involved with Bodega. This is a very important theme. Chino has to choose between the streets and Blanca


"I wanted to laugh. Who did he think he was, Lyndon Johnson?(41)"
I like this quote because when I researched who Lyndon Johnson was, I knew what the quote meant. Lyndon Johnson was the 36th president of the United States who made the Great Society act. This was a group of domestic programs dedicated to get rid of poverty and racial injustices. In his quote, Chino is laughing at Bodega for sounding like some big person and directly relates him to Lyndon Johnson.


“cuz even though she might be Spanish, she’s a white Spanish” (153). 
Throughout Bodega Dreams race is a constant source of tension, even when it is a factor in interactions among members of the same race. One of the best characters to highlight this tension is Blanca. Even her name is associated with whiteness and her entire personality throughout the novel is essentially “white.” Her religion, moral outlook, and even her aspirations are all associated with conformity to mainstream white culture and while Chico himself shares in some of these aspirations, he also recognizes these aspects of his wife’s character. Chico is not the only one who notices Blanca’s “white” outlook on life.Sapo taunts chico with this


She loves this Izzy guy. Alwats has. You should have seen them, they were like kids". Blanca stared at the ring. She liked it, but her conscience was a strong judge. Iwanted her to have it, so i lobbied as hard as i could." (129)

This passage is focuses of the decision that Chino faces throughout the story. The moral question that he must awnser dealing with the shady Bodega and Sapo. Chino is always involuntairily getting in trouble just because of the people he associates with. Blanca is that yin to Chino's yang. She keeps him from ending trouble. This is a theme throughout the novel and is evident right here.