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 gets a 1957 red pickup truck with chrome trim for his birthday. It’s beautiful and he feels inadequate as he thanks and hugs Dad. He doesn’t get a picture of Bernardo up on the walls, however. Ari sits in the truck and wishes he could take the truck out with Dante and Bernardo rather than attend his party. He thinks that he does miss Dante and starts to think about Ileana.
The pickup helps Ari begin to conceptualize who he’d like to be as an adult. His desire to have a photo of Bernardo on display does this as well, but it gives him something to aspire to: someone who’s more communicative and engages with his parents as people, which may encourage them to share more.
Themes
