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 calls Dante and says that he’ll be back in a few days, and that Aunt Ophelia left him her house. One of Ophelia’s friends wants to buy it from him, so Dante points out that Ari can quit his job. They laugh. Dante says that he’s been working and hanging out with a guy. Ari doesn’t ask which guy, and Dante changes the subject to Legs.
Ari’s unwillingness to ask Dante about who he’s seeing shows that Ari is still very uncomfortable applying his newfound openness with his parents to his relationship with Dante. This suggests that he’s not quite ready to make the final leap to maturity.
Themes
