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
Mom walks in just as Ari throws the sketchpad. Ari refuses to explain himself but tells Mom to not flip through the drawings. He insists that he doesn’t know why he threw it and when Mom starts to say something, Ari says he doesn’t want to talk or know what she thinks. Mom says this isn’t good for Ari, but Ari says sarcastically that he won’t talk unless she forces him to see a counselor. Angrily, Ari says that if she talks about Bernardo, he’ll talk about how he feels. Mom looks surprised, hurt, and angry. She insists that this has nothing to do with Bernardo, but Ari says that he can keep things inside just like Dad keeps Vietnam inside. Mom leaves the room.
While Ari is right that he can absolutely keep things inside, the way he goes about this conversation with Mom shows that he’s just lashing out in pain and insecurity. It’s possible that he feels stifled by the silence that rules him and his family, and it’s even worse now that Ari himself is perpetuating the silence, just like Dad and Mom do.
Themes
