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
Mom suggests that Ari should write Dante back. Ari deflects. Once he gets home, he writes in his journal and wonders where dreams come from. He wonders what it means that he ran over Dante and that he’s had the dream multiple times. He thinks that this is bad, since he can either think about his dreams of Bernardo or of Dante. His choices are awful.
In this interpretation, Ari’s dreams of Dante and of Bernardo represent something similar to the words leaking out of him. It shows that he’s desperate to know more and connect with others, but that he doesn’t yet have the skills or the desire to make those connections happen.
Themes
