The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams Essay - 623 Words

Theodore Roosevelt claims that â€Å"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 Quià ±onez 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†¦show more content†¦Veras mother did not want him to marry her daughter because she thinks he has no goals or future so Vera found someone else. However, Bodega claims that Vera does not love her husband, saying to Chino, à ¢â‚¬Å"Bcause Vera needs to tell him-he lit a cigarette-that she never loved him† (Quià ±onez 168). In the same way, Gatsby wants Daisy to tell that she never loves her husband, Tom. Even though both Daisy and Vera decide to marry the wealthier one to get a better future, both protagonists still hope to win their love back and believe they never love their husband. Eventually, both protagonists are murdered in cold blood. To illustrate this fact, at the end of Bodega Dreams, most of the characters are killed by someone or disappear. Vera and Edwin Nazario, Bodega’s associate, plan to kill Bodega and Vidal, Vera’s husband. In this case, Nazario has played everyone and poor Bodega gets killed for loving someone and trying to fix up his Latin neighborhood. The reader would notice Bodega’s death from Chino saying, â€Å"I wasnt thinking about anything else but Bodega. Bodega was dead† (Quià ±onez 195). Likewise, Gatsby gets shot by George, the husband of Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle Wilson is Daisy’s husband’s mistress who Daisy ran over by accident. Even though Gatsby takes the blame to protect Daisy, he is finally killed by someone at the end of the story. Accordingly, both Gatsby and Bodega feel a sense of emptiness of life without theirShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby And Bodega Dreams : The Love That Killed Bodega And Gatsby973 Words   |  4 PagesAmend 10/2/2017 ENG 307 Dangerous Dreams Indeed: The Love That Killed Bodega and Gatsby Not all American dreams end tragically, but in some cases it does. This idea could be broken down by the stories of The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams. Whether Jay Gatsby tries to reinvent himself or Willie Bodega tries to reinvent Spanish Harlem, The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams run parallel towards a common outcome. Bodega and Gatsby s ambition to live their American Dream is thwarted by love, which led themRead MoreErnesto Quinonez s The Conversation Through Storytelling Essay2033 Words   |  9 Pages(Welcome to Puerto Rico 2016) The techniques used by the author in this novel are stoic writing, drama, suspense, inspirational, love story, and fiction. My favorite part of the book exposes two street friends that grew up together with two different dreams. Chino s aspiration was to improve himself while Sapo had no drive or ambition to the possibilities that surrounded him. When thinking of his irrational actions towards the teacher, Mr. Blessington realized that he would not be anything more than