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 isn’t sure what to tell Mom and Dad. Legs is thrilled to be home and greets Mom and Dad while Ari tells them that someone jumped Dante. He heads for the hospital. Dante is bruised and swollen to the point of being unrecognizable. Ari takes Dante’s hand and says that he hates the boys who did this. He sits with Sam and Mrs. Quintana, and Mrs. Quintana confirms that Ari will always be Dante’s friend. Ari says that he needs a friend too.
For Mr. and Mrs. Quintana, the important thing now is that Dante won’t suffer any more than he already has, now that he’s been forcibly outed in the most dangerous way possible. Admitting that he needs a friend, too, shows that Ari is becoming more open and vulnerable.
Themes
Later, Sam and Mrs. Quintana walk Ari to his truck. Mrs. Quintana tells Ari what happened: an old lady saw Dante and another boy kissing in an alley, and some boys jumped them. She says that she thinks Dante is in love with Ari, but Ari suggests that Dante likes the boy he was kissing. Sam awkwardly suggests that the guy is a stand-in, and Ari says that the best and worst thing about adults is that they don’t always act like adults. Ari says he thinks he knows who the other boy is, but he asks what he’s supposed to do about it and tries not to cry. He thinks that Dante is his first friend and has taught him everything about the world, including that talking is good. Sam says that the other guy ran, but Dante didn’t. Sam breaks down crying and asks why Dante didn’t run.
Ari’s insistence that he likes adults in part because they don’t always act like adults makes it very clear that Ari is now a very mature young man who recognizes that adults and parents are imperfect people just like him. When Sam cries because Dante didn’t run, it shows that he recognizes how dangerous it is for Dante to be so open and confident in who he is, as it leaves him vulnerable to this kind of violence. While Dante’s refusal to run is a testament to his strength and confidence in himself, it also did irreparable damage.
Themes
