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
Dante writes Ari a short letter asking if Ari masturbates. He admits that he’s obsessed and thinks it’s a phase, but doesn’t want to ask Mr. Quintana about it. He asks how often it’s normal to masturbate. Ari is mad about the letter because he thinks it’s embarrassing. He doesn’t want to talk about masturbation at all, and definitely not with Dante.
While kissing may be just fine for Ari, masturbation represents a different kind of sexual maturity that’s less comfortable for him. Their differences of opinion here show that Dante is still a little ahead of Ari as they mature, and that there is a gap in communication between him and Ari as a result.
Themes
