Ileana Character Analysis in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

A girl a few years older than Ari. He has a crush on her and eventually manages to kiss her at a party. Both Susie and Gina tell Ari that Ileana is just playing with him, and to a degree, they’re right: she eventually confesses that her older boyfriend is in a street gang. When Ileana stops coming to school, Ari discovers that she got pregnant, got married, and dropped out.

Ileana Character Timeline in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

The timeline below shows where the character Ileana appears in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Identity, Ethnicity, and Masculinity Theme Icon

The afternoon after the second day of school, a girl named Ileana writes her name on Ari’s casts. She looks into Ari’s eyes as she does. Ari... (full context)

Silence and Trauma vs. Communication Theme Icon

...attend his party. He thinks that he does miss Dante and starts to think about Ileana. (full context)

Intellectualism and Emotion vs. Physical Strength Theme Icon

...going to take it to the desert alone to look at stars. Mom asks who Ileana is when she sees the name on Ari’s cast, but Ari says she’s too pretty... (full context)

...them. Ari thinks about his whole dream: he hit Dante because he’d been looking at Ileana. (full context)

...Dante, Ari writes in his journal and wonders what it would be like to kiss Ileana. Ari tries to think about other things, but everything leads him back to Dante and... (full context)

Ari decides that he’s going to kiss Ileana, but is unsure of when or where because he barely ever sees her. He plans... (full context)

Susie and Gina help Ari track down Ileana’s locker, but they also warn him to leave Ileana alone. According to them, Ari is... (full context)

...lifting weights, running with Legs, reading Dante’s letters, arguing with Gina and Susie, thinking about Ileana, looking through microfilm, writing, having bad dreams, and working at the Charcoaler. Ari thinks that... (full context)

...want him to kiss her, which Susie says is mean. Gina drops the subject. Sometimes, Ileana finds Ari at school and Ari feels like he’s falling in love with her. Ari... (full context)

...drink. Ari chugs the first two beers and then thinks about dreams, Bernardo, Dante, and Ileana. He tells Legs that he loves her and wonders why he’s not more grateful for... (full context)

...He goes home first and is surprised that Mom lets him go. At the party, Ileana kisses Ari for a long time and then leaves. Gina appears right after. They hug... (full context)

...together. Ari drives his truck into the desert some Friday nights, and tries to see Ileana. One day he asks her out on a date, but she refuses. They still talk... (full context)