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Part Three, Chapter Nine
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 hates living at home. He hates Mom, Dad, and Dante, and hates himself for feeling this way. Life improves with Ari’s new casts, and after a week, his arm cast comes off and he graduates to crutches. Ari can bathe himself and he marks the occasion in his journal. Dante comments later that Ari is smiling again. One morning, Ari wakes up and catches his reflection in a mirror. He wonders who he is and then joins Mom in the kitchen. They discuss Ari’s time as a Boy Scout and how he’s going to keep his hair long. Ari thinks that Mom looks beautiful and like she knows who she is. He wants to ask when he’ll know who he is, but he doesn’t.
Choosing not to speak up and ask Mom this question again shows that Ari isn’t yet willing to be vulnerable and deeply interrogate who he is and who he’s going to be as an adult. His questions about his reflection remind the reader that as a teen, Ari’s body is changing rapidly and may not be entirely recognizable, especially since he’s still in leg casts. Seeing that Mom is okay with who she is, however, suggests that Ari recognizes that communication and openness can help a person figure out their identity.
Themes
Ari goes back to his room and pulls out his journal. He writes about his fear of going to school on crutches, the happy experiences he hopes he’ll have in his pickup truck, and physical therapy. He writes that he’s going to start lifting weights and that he’s afraid that he and Dante won’t be friends again. He wants a dog and doesn’t know who he is, and what he wants most for his birthday is for someone to talk about Bernardo. He writes that he thought this summer would be the one in which he figured out that he was alive, and that the world is waiting for him.
Again, it’s important and positive that Ari chooses to be so honest and open in his journal. This shows that he’s learning how to communicate and is practicing with himself in this safe space. Mentioning that he wants to start lifting weights suggests that Ari also wants to develop a sense of control over his body, and thereby a sense of control over the identity he presents to others.
Themes
Dante visits that evening. They compare the arms they broke in the accident, and Dante says he went swimming. He quietly says that he loves swimming and he loves Ari. Ari says that Dante shouldn’t say that. He understands what Dante is saying and wishes that Dante didn’t have to say things out loud. Dante asks if Ari hates him. Suddenly, Ari realizes that he doesn’t hate anyone; he just doesn’t know how to be Dante’s friend. Ari assures Dante that they’ll still be friends when Dante returns from Chicago.
In this moment, Dante effectively confesses that he’s gay and in love with Ari. Ari’s unwillingness to accept this shows that he’s still too caught up in his own mind and isn’t willing to do the difficult work of learning to communicate openly. Assuring Dante that they’ll continue to be friends, on the other hand, shows that Ari now understands the importance of friendship and compassion.
Themes
