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
At the pool, Ari has to take a shower before he can get in. He hates this rule and hates showering with other guys. When he finishes, he sits on the side of the shallow part and wonders what he’s supposed to do when he can’t swim. He knows he should learn, and is proud that he taught himself to float all by himself. Ari loves doing things by himself and is bad at asking for help, a trait he got from Dad. The lifeguards and swim instructors at the pool are awful, as they’re only interested in girls’ breasts, not in teaching guys to swim. Once, Ari heard a guard saying that girls are like leafy trees and that he’d like to rip the leaves off.
While it’s entirely possible that all of Ari’s discomfort with the lifeguards and with their misogyny has to do with the fact that he himself isn’t sexually or romantically interested in women, it also shows that he’s compassionate and isn’t willing to talk about women in such a way. This continues to make the case that Ari is more sensitive and emotionally intelligent than other young men his age; he’s just not able to show that all the time.
Themes
Ari explains that he has no interest in being around guys. They make him uncomfortable and he’s not sure why, but he knows he doesn’t belong. Ari finds it especially uncomfortable that he might turn out to be a jerk like the lifeguards. He thinks that Mom would say that the guys are just going through a phase, but Ari isn’t sure. He wonders if life is just a series of phases like Mom says, but he also thinks it sounds like an excuse. Ari suspects that something is wrong with him, but he’s not sure what. He thinks it’s better to drown than ask one of the lifeguards to teach him to swim.
In this passage, it becomes clearer that even though Ari hasn’t identified it yet, he’s butting up against the fact that he’s gay and therefore isn’t going through the exact same experiences as these (presumably) straight lifeguards. This shows how not being straight can be an isolating experience for a young person, something that’s made worse by the other physical and emotional aspects of puberty.
Themes
Ari floats along until he hears a squeaky voice offer to teach him to swim. Ari is suspicious; he thinks that this guy must also not have a life. The guy offers again, and Ari, thinking he likes his voice, points out that he talks funny. The guy replies that he’s allergic to the air and introduces himself as Dante. Ari laughs and says that his name is Aristotle. Dante’s eyes light up and he says that his dad is an English professor. Ari says that Dad is a mailman; he’s named after his grandfather and his full name is Angel Aristotle. Both boys laugh, but Ari can’t figure out why. Dante says that he used to go by Dan, but it felt dishonest.
It’s telling that in Dante’s first conversation with Ari, he makes the case that it’s important to be truthful and respect what feels right to oneself (which he does by going by Dante instead of Dan). Their laughter is one of the first ways in which they begin to connect to each other and form a bond. Ari’s inability to identify why they laugh is understandable for Ari, who wants reasons, but it suggests that relationships don’t always make logical sense.
Themes
Ari accepts Dante’s offer of swimming lessons. Though Dante looks thin and fragile, he’s a disciplined swimmer. Ari is amazed that Dante can be so kind and smart in such a mean world. They end up hanging out throughout the summer, reading comics together and arguing about whether they’re literature. Dante doesn’t think so; he takes literature seriously and loves Heart of Darkness. Ari reads it because of Dante and says he hates it, but in truth, Ari loves the book. Dad notices Ari reading it once and says that he loves it too. Ari wants to ask if Dad read it before or after Vietnam, but he knows that Dad won’t answer.
As far as Ari is concerned, the world isn’t set up to take care of someone like Dante who’s so open and nice. This offers more insight into why Ari does things like pretend he hates Heart of Darkness—he doesn’t think there’s a place in the world for honesty about things like this. This also shows that Ari, Dante, and possibly, Dad are all intellectuals and interested in these scholarly pursuits, but that being an intellectual isn’t always something that’s visible to others on the outside.
Themes
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Ari thinks that Dante reads for fun, but Ari reads because he’s bored. Ari also thinks that he has a darker outlook on life than Dante does, but they always laugh together. They can’t watch TV during the day, so they spend their days outside. One day, they decide to ride the bus and see what’s out there. They discuss whether they’d run away if given the chance, but Dante admits that he loves his parents too much to run away. They make up stories about the other bus passengers.
Making up stories about the other passengers on the bus reads as innocent and youthful, reinforcing that for this summer, Ari and Dante are still kids who can delight in these simple, imaginative pleasures. However, their interest in a dark, complex book like Heart of Darkness show that they’re also becoming more mature and worldly.
Themes
Ari tells the reader that he’s never been close to other people. He tried Boy Scouts, but he never felt like he was part of that world. Ari doesn’t find guys interesting and is often disgusted by them; being around them makes him feel stupid and inadequate. Ari thinks back to the Boy Scouts. Dad made Ari try it for a year in an attempt to keep Ari out of gangs and prison, like Bernardo. Ari hated that he had to be good because his brother was bad, but he did Boy Scouts anyway. The only thing he liked was learning CPR. Ari gave the corresponding patch to Dad and then quit. Dad insisted that Ari was making a mistake. Ari angrily threatened to start smoking pot if Dad made him go back. Dad simply shrugged and said that it was Ari’s choice.
The fact that Ari links Dad forcing him to do Boy Scouts with Bernardo being in prison makes it clear again that Mom and Dad are trying extra hard to make sure that Ari stays on the straight and narrow path, in an attempt to keep him from ending up like Bernardo. That Ari chafes under this setup shows that he’d like to be his own person, not just a foil to the problematic older brother he doesn’t even know.
Themes
Ari says that he hates that Dad doesn’t give lectures or talk. He wants to know Dad, but he can’t because Dad doesn’t talk. Ari explains that he isn’t popular. He hangs out with a few guys and two girls, Gina Navarro and Susie Byrd, who torment him. He thinks that things aren’t so bad—nobody hates him, but nobody loves him either. He’s invisible and liked it until Dante came into his life.
For Ari, invisibility helps him navigate a world that he doesn’t think will accommodate him. His desire to understand Dad shows that Ari is compassionate and wants to know others on a deep level, but blaming it all on Dad points to Ari’s lingering immaturity.
Themes
