What Does Bodega Dreams Mean In The Great Gatsby

How does one give up on a dream they had once achieved? Some may move on, but for many, it is easy to remain stuck in those vivid moments they think of every time they close their eyes. Anything other than staying determined is unthinkable, although it is not an easy feat with every obstacle – including time – working against them. Fixation on the past turns a once-motivator to a manic hindrance. Fitzgerald, Mannilow, Coldplay, and Quin᷈onez explore this phenomenon in different ways, connected through literary devices such as perspective and foreshadowing. Collectively, The Great Gatsby, “Copacabana”, “Viva la Vida”, and Bodega Dreams feature one character that struggles with well revered memories turning to a point of weakness that distracts
Only over time were motives revealed to the audience, after decisions had been made and contracts sealed. The idea of an individual stuck in one past moment is portrayed through perspective and limited omniscience as each character fights to remain in the nostalgic landscape of their own minds. The choice of each author to tell each enigmatic character from a third person point of view added to the atmosphere of curiosity and mystery surrounding how long they had been staring wistfully at that “green light” as represented in The Great Gatsby and alluded to in Bodega Dreams. Instead of telling the story of Lola through her directly, Manilow sings of her aspirations and sadness, “Now it’s a disco / But not for Lola” (Manilow 26). but never through her. Both Fitzgerald and Quin᷈onez tell the story of Gatsby and Bodega through the eyes of another character. The audience is never given true insight to the characters’ stream of consciousness, only led to believe certain truths those characters choose to reveal. Even the fallen king of “Viva la Vida” never has his intentions fully stated, and his plight is told in a first person perspective. He admits he “used to rule the world” (Coldplay 1) and that he still “[hears] Jerusalem bells a-ringing” (Coldplay 13) but
The Great Gatsby calls this an “extraordinary gift for hope”, an unshakable determination to reach the green light. It was evident in Bodega, who wanted to rule Spanish Harlem with Vera by his side; it was prominent in the King, who wanted to lead his people once more, no longer a “puppet on a lonely string” (23); it was even seen in Lola, who only dreamed of having Tony back. However, the past is not to blame for their failures, and could have been something to drive them forward. It was the constricting grip on times they found impossible to let go that left them to miserable lives. It was “what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams” (Fitzgerald 3) that gave way to their demise or