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Part One, Chapter One
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
Ari enters the kitchen, where Mom is making lunch for the women in her church group. They banter about Ari’s love of sleeping, and Ari mentions that he was just listening to “La Bamba.” Mom whispers that it’s sad that Richie Valens died, and Ari says it’s just like Patsy Cline, whom Mom loves. Ari points out that Richie Valens died young, but he did something with his life. Ari asks what he’s done, but Mom points out that Ari still has time. Ari insists that he has to “become a person” first, which puzzles Mom. She teaches high school, so Ari knows that she somewhat agrees with him that 15-year-olds have more developing to do before they’re real people.
Richie Valens was only 17 when he died, not long after releasing “La Bamba,” an instant hit. For Ari, this suggests that he might not have as much time as Mom likes to think to make a difference in the world or figure out who he is—though it’s also worth keeping in mind that since Valens died as a teen, he might not have had everything figured out, anyway, even if he was the famous artist of a hit song.
Themes
Ari asks Mom about her meeting. Mom explains that they’re reorganizing the local food bank and asks Ari to help. Ari agrees, even though he hates being volunteered and thinks that the whole problem with his life is that it’s someone else’s idea. Mom asks Ari what he’s going to do today. He deadpans that he’s going to join a gang because he’s Mexican, but Mom insists that’s not funny. Ari feels as though he has to leave the house. He hates Mom’s church group, not because they fawn over him, but because Mom has more friends than he does.
This passage shows that Ari feels alone, unmoored, and possibly less connected to the positive aspects of his Mexican roots than he might like to be. The fact that Mom takes the gang joke seriously suggests that she’s doing her best to try to push Ari in the right direction, but it’s worth noting that as a loner, Ari may be more susceptible to the kind of community that a gang might be able to give him. For her, the gang joke might hit closer to home than he intends.
Themes
Ari decides to go to the pool and thinks that the idea is at least his own. Mom glares at his tee shirt, a Carlos Santana shirt that Dad gave Ari for his birthday. Ari insists that it’s his favorite shirt and when Mom points out that Ari wasn’t excited to receive it, Ari says that it was an odd gift. He says that he doesn’t understand Dad, but Mom insists that Dad isn’t complicated. They discuss that Dad got the tee shirt at his first concert with Mom, and Mom agrees to let Ari wear it. Ari gently reminds her that it’s summer and there are different rules at play. She jokes with him that he shouldn’t drown, and Ari jokes back that if he does, Mom shouldn’t give their nonexistent dog away.
The banter between Mom and Ari suggests that they have a relatively open relationship and are comfortable making jokes with each other. The way that he talks about Dad, however, indicates that Ari doesn’t understand Dad or communicate well with him, as it seems as though nothing Dad does makes sense to Ari. This suggests that going forward, Ari is going to make it a priority to delve into Dad and try to figure out who he is, something that also suggests that Ari is exceptionally mature and caring for a 15-year-old.
Themes
Ari tells the reader that he and Mom get each other’s sense of humor. She’s a bit of a mystery, though Ari understands completely why Dad fell in love with her, though he doesn’t understand why Mom fell in love with Dad. He remembers once when he was little and Dad wouldn’t play with him, Ari angrily asked why Mom married him. Mom told Ari that Dad was beautiful. Ari wants to ask where the beauty went.
Ari’s desire to ask about Dad’s lost beauty shows that Ari prioritizes openness and communication, yet the reader will learn that he’s reluctant to admit this or act on it. With this, the novel sets Ari up to learn that communication is a good thing that he should openly pursue, not just secretly desire.
Themes
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