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 bounces into Ari’s truck and says that bowling is boring, mostly because he’s not good at it. They discuss that Ari now likes his parents a lot, even though he used to think they were aliens. They also declare that they must bowl better than their moms. At the bowling alley, Dante says that he told his parents that he never wants to kiss boys again. They rolled their eyes and laughed. Dante says that their parents are weird about how they love them, and that Ari seems different—weird, but in a good way. They end up having fun and Ari bowls better than anyone else. Everyone laughs the entire time.
What Dante is likely picking up on when he says that Ari seems different is that Ari is now becoming more comfortable with his sexuality. This, in turn, makes him less angry and more open. The way that Ari mentions how much he loves his parents shows that this is the culmination of Ari’s journey to discover that his parents are multifaceted people—and now, even more meaningfully, Ari is willing to say this out loud.
Themes
