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Part One, Chapter Four
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
One day after swimming, Dante invites Ari to his house. Mr. Quintana is an English professor, something that Ari had no idea a Mexican American man could be. He’s young, handsome, and bright like Dante. Dante kisses his dad on the cheek in greeting, and they joke about whether or not writing a book is work. Mr. Quintana jokes that Dante just doesn’t like work, so Dante changes the subject. Ari greets Mr. Quintana and refuses the invitation to call him Sam. Mr. Quintana suggests that Dante could learn some respect from Ari and sends Dante upstairs to clean his room. Ari is struck by how they communicate and wonders what it would be like to kiss Dad in greeting.
The way that Mr. Quintana and Dante interact with each other represents a stark contrast to how Ari interacts with Dad, which introduces Ari to the idea that not everyone engages with their parents like he does. The Quintanas thus become an example of a healthier way of communicating for Ari, which eventually helps him learn to apply some of what he sees to his own family. In doing so, he becomes more communicative and vulnerable.
Themes
Dante’s room is big and messy. He plays Abbey Road on a real record player and gives Ari a book to read while he cleans. Ari feels awkward staying, especially since Dante has so much stuff. He offers to help, but Dante says that it’s his responsibility. They discuss whether or not they analyze their parents and Dante says that his mom is “inscrutable.” Ari doesn’t know what the word means, but he says that Dad is “inscrutable,” too. He feels like a fraud and accepts Dante’s book of poems. Dante points to a rocking chair for Ari to sit. Ari moves stuff out of it, including a sketchbook, and asks to look through it. Dante refuses, which intrigues Ari.
Dante’s use of “inscrutable” here shows just how intellectual Dante is, while Ari’s ability to grasp the word’s meaning (even if he’s not entirely sure about it) speaks to his capacity to learn and follow Dante in these intellectual pursuits. However, feeling like a fraud suggests that Ari isn’t comfortable with all of this. Rather, learning to be okay with his intellectual interests is something that Ari will have to learn as he grows up and comes of age.
Themes
Ari reads poems by William Carlos Williams. He doesn’t understand everything, but he likes what he does understand. Ari starts to think that he might know what “inscrutable” means and thinks that poems are a lot like people: some are easy to understand, and others will never be understood. Ari is impressed by how Dante organizes his room, and he’s jealous that Dante has a real desk. When he’s finished, Dante grabs the book of poetry and reads a poem out loud that contains the word “bastard.” Ari knows that Dante isn’t allowed to use the word, but that Dante enjoys using it in his own room. They spend the rest of the afternoon reading poems out loud. Ari thinks that Dante’s voice feels real and that he feels real too. Later, Ari looks up inscrutable. He thinks that today, he learned two new words: inscrutable and friend.
When Ari makes this connection between understanding poems and people, it sets up the idea that Ari will start to be able to connect more with others as he becomes more comfortable with language—in part because language helps him articulate his emotions, especially the uncomfortable ones. This is reinforced as the boys read poems to each other and test the limits of acceptable language. Poetry is, in this situation, a way for them to experiment with adulthood and autonomy.
Themes
