Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: Part One, Chapter Four Summary & Analysis

At the pool, Ari has to take a shower before he can get in. He hates this rule and hates showering with other guys. When he finishes, he sits on the side of the shallow part and wonders what he’s supposed to do when he can’t swim. He knows he should learn, and is proud that he taught himself to float all by himself. Ari loves doing things by himself and is bad at asking for help, a trait he got from Dad. The lifeguards and swim instructors at the pool are awful, as they’re only interested in girls’ breasts, not in teaching guys to swim. Once, Ari heard a guard saying that girls are like leafy trees and that he’d like to rip the leaves off.

Ari explains that he has no interest in being around guys. They make him uncomfortable and he’s not sure why, but he knows he doesn’t belong. Ari finds it especially uncomfortable that he might turn out to be a jerk like the lifeguards. He thinks that Mom would say that the guys are just going through a phase, but Ari isn’t sure. He wonders if life is just a series of phases like Mom says, but he also thinks it sounds like an excuse. Ari suspects that something is wrong with him, but he’s not sure what. He thinks it’s better to drown than ask one of the lifeguards to teach him to swim.

Ari floats along until he hears a squeaky voice offer to teach him to swim. Ari is suspicious; he thinks that this guy must also not have a life. The guy offers again, and Ari, thinking he likes his voice, points out that he talks funny. The guy replies that he’s allergic to the air and introduces himself as Dante. Ari laughs and says that his name is Aristotle. Dante’s eyes light up and he says that his dad is an English professor. Ari says that Dad is a mailman; he’s named after his grandfather and his full name is Angel Aristotle. Both boys laugh, but Ari can’t figure out why. Dante says that he used to go by Dan, but it felt dishonest.

Ari accepts Dante’s offer of swimming lessons. Though Dante looks thin and fragile, he’s a disciplined swimmer. Ari is amazed that Dante can be so kind and smart in such a mean world. They end up hanging out throughout the summer, reading comics together and arguing about whether they’re literature. Dante doesn’t think so; he takes literature seriously and loves Heart of Darkness. Ari reads it because of Dante and says he hates it, but in truth, Ari loves the book. Dad notices Ari reading it once and says that he loves it too. Ari wants to ask if Dad read it before or after Vietnam, but he knows that Dad won’t answer.

Ari thinks that Dante reads for fun, but Ari reads because he’s bored. Ari also thinks that he has a darker outlook on life than Dante does, but they always laugh together. They can’t watch TV during the day, so they spend their days outside. One day, they decide to ride the bus and see what’s out there. They discuss whether they’d run away if given the chance, but Dante admits that he loves his parents too much to run away. They make up stories about the other bus passengers.

Ari tells the reader that he’s never been close to other people. He tried Boy Scouts, but he never felt like he was part of that world. Ari doesn’t find guys interesting and is often disgusted by them; being around them makes him feel stupid and inadequate. Ari thinks back to the Boy Scouts. Dad made Ari try it for a year in an attempt to keep Ari out of gangs and prison, like Bernardo. Ari hated that he had to be good because his brother was bad, but he did Boy Scouts anyway. The only thing he liked was learning CPR. Ari gave the corresponding patch to Dad and then quit. Dad insisted that Ari was making a mistake. Ari angrily threatened to start smoking pot if Dad made him go back. Dad simply shrugged and said that it was Ari’s choice.

Ari says that he hates that Dad doesn’t give lectures or talk. He wants to know Dad, but he can’t because Dad doesn’t talk. Ari explains that he isn’t popular. He hangs out with a few guys and two girls, Gina Navarro and Susie Byrd, who torment him. He thinks that things aren’t so bad—nobody hates him, but nobody loves him either. He’s invisible and liked it until Dante came into his life.