Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Life is confusing, and challenges are thrown at you left and right, especially in adolescence. During these times, it’s always helpful to have a close friend by your side to help push through. But what happens when your best friend adds to your confusion? Thoughts of love and sexuality begin to arise, and you’re faced with more questions than you had when this coming-of-age journey began. This is explored in Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s fiction novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The main character, Ari, and his best friend, Dante, adventure through many of the challenges of teenage life, then create their own adventure and embark on the journey of discovering themselves. The importance of love and being exposed to sexuality in adolescence is illustrated in Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe. …show more content…
He tells Dante that the reason he did not tell him is because he is scared of Dante. Not in the sense that he is afraid he is going to hurt him, he’s afraid of the fact that Dante is bringing this part of him to light and he's worried about how that will affect his life. But, when Ari confesses this, he is maturing in a great way, “From the minute I met Dante, I had fallen in love with him. I just didn’t let myself know it, think it, feel it. My father was right. And it was true what my mother said. We all fight our own private wars.” (Sáenz. 359). Ari is accepting a large part of his life that he never expected before. He does this not only for himself but for the one he loves, which is a great change from the start of the novel when Ari did not feel much love for others. This acceptance of this part of himself already shows great growth. After all these phases he dealt with on this long and challenging journey, he reached the final stage of