Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity, Ethnicity, and Masculinity
Silence and Trauma vs. Communication
Family and Coming of Age
Intellectualism and Emotion vs. Physical Strength
Summary
Analysis
Ari sits in the backseat on the drive home and watches Mom and Dad hold hands. He thinks of smoking and running naked in the rain with Dante. Ari says that he’s going to work, read, and hang out for the rest of the summer, and Dad points out that Ari doesn’t have to work. Ari says he doesn’t have anything else to do since he doesn’t like TV, which he insists is their fault. Mom suggests that Ari and Dante take a camping trip since it’s summer, but Ari thinks of Mrs. Quintana’s warning to remember the rain.
Ari’s sense of contentment in this rainstorm shows him that the experience and knowledge he’s gaining isn’t at all a bad or traumatizing thing, as it was when he was hit by the car after a rainstorm. Like the traumas of his family that are gradually being revealed to him, Ari can now remember the rain and the accident but knows that these things don’t have to rule his life. Now, he understands that the rain can be transformative in a positive way.
Themes
Ari rolls down his window and looks at dark clouds ahead. Raindrops fall on his hand and he thinks they’re like kisses. He’s been dreaming about kissing, but can never figure out whom he’s kissing. Suddenly, the rain begins in earnest and Ari rolls up his window. Dad pulls over and Ari feels small in the middle of the storm. Ari thinks that for him, summers are about storms that make him feel alone, and that boys like him belong to rain, not sunshine.
Ari’s analysis that summers are about storms and loneliness shows that he’s still not yet able to fully accept who he is. Doing so will allow him to connect more fully with others and metaphorically embrace the sunshine and the warmth of his relationships.
Themes
