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 doesn’t notice Julian’s blood on him until he gets home. He sits in the driveway shaking. He knows he did something crazy and doesn’t know what to think. Dad comes outside with a scary look on his face and says that he got a call from Mr. Rodriguez. Ari can’t stand the way Mom looks at him and lets Dad steer him to the living room. Ari says that he wanted to hurt Julian and Mom starts sobbing. She says that Bernardo hurt someone and that Ari broke Julian’s nose. Mr. Rodriguez’s friendship with Dad is the only reason Ari isn’t at the police station, and Ari has to pay for Julian’s ER visit. Ari apologizes, but he’s not sorry for breaking Julian’s nose. He is sorry for hurting Mom.
Linking Ari’s behavior in the present to Bernardo’s behavior in the past doesn’t help matters for Ari, as it reminds him yet again that he’s living in Bernardo’s shadow and must be good, in part because Bernardo was so bad. Ari’s sense of being sorry that he hurt Mom shows that even though he’s emotional and doesn’t quite know how to conduct himself, he still recognizes that he loves his family and can rely on them for support as he navigates this choice.
Themes
Ari says that he’s not like Bernardo and hates living in his shadow, and he’s not sure he’s sorry. Dad says that he’s going to sell Ari’s truck, but Ari doesn’t care. Mom asks Ari to tell her why. Ari confirms that they’re going to listen and then says that four boys beat Dante because he was kissing another boy. Ari sobs and feels angrier than he’s ever been. He says that the other boy ran, but Dante didn’t. Ari admits that he’s ashamed, and Dad says that Ari is going about this in the worst way. He says that Ari should ask for help, but Ari says he doesn’t know how.
It’s possible that part of Ari’s anger stems from the fact that Dante didn’t do the one thing he could’ve done to protect himself, just to make a point. This shows that Dante clings to philosophical arguments and making points like this even when it’s not actually safe to do so, something that suggests that intellectualism is good up to a point—it just needs to be tempered with an understanding of the possible dangers.
Themes
