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

Dante calls Ari and apologizes for not visiting. He says that their moms talked and he can’t get out of seeing a counselor. They laugh. Dante says he’s starting to like his face and asks if things still hurt. Ari says that his legs own him. Dante says that it’s all his fault, so Ari institutes more rules: no talking about the accident, no saying thank you, Dante can’t think it’s his fault, and they must move on. Ari refuses to budge, but Dante apologizes and thanks Ari once more. That afternoon, Dante comes to visit. He looks sad and guilty, but Ari insists that the doctor says he’s going to be fine. Dante pulls out The Grapes of Wrath and War and Peace for Ari to read.

Dante takes out his sketchpad. He says that Ari can look at his drawings and tells him to not get too excited. Ari explains that the pain comes and goes and that he’s trying to not take meds. Dante hands over the sketchpad and says that Ari has to wait until he leaves to look. They laugh and things feel normal. Dante tells Ari about a man on the bus and Ari thinks about the bird with the broken wing. He still doesn’t know what happened to it, but now that he’s made his rules, he can’t ask. Ari thinks suddenly that he hates Dante. When Dante leaves, Ari thinks that Dante is only letting him see his drawings because he’s grateful. He hates this, so he throws the pad across the room.