In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Dante Quintana is the best friend of the main character, Aristotle. While reading this book, I noted many similarities between Dante and I. Dante and I are alike because we are both interested in music and reading, are very sensitive, and contain the quality of unashamed authenticity of speech. When Aristotle first comes over to Dante’s house, Dante shows him around his bedroom. There are many books piled up in every corner, and throughout their friendship, Dante recommends many classics to Aristotle, such as Grapes of Wrath and War and Peace. He is completely unafraid of thick books, and seems to prefer them. I share this trait as well, and I also share his enthusiasm for music. When Aristotle notes a record player in Dante’s room, Dante’s eyes light up. He enthuses about owning a real vintage record player, and always has music playing on it. Although I don’t play it all the time, I love putting a record on and …show more content…
He constantly struggles with what he calls a true Mexican, believing that things like his sexuality and his intelligence contribute to him becoming more American. When Dante begins to realize that he likes boys, he constantly tells Aristotle that real Mexican boys like girls. His battle with his sexuality is only worsened when a group of boys beats him up just because he was kissing another boy. Aristotle wonders why he didn’t run, and finally comes to the conclusion that Dante knew what he was doing. He didn’t run away because he thought he deserved it. Dante is a very sensitive boy, and this is very obvious in all of the book. I, too, am very sensitive about many things. When someone makes a comment about me, no matter how small, I overanalyze it until it’s practically all I can think about. Many of my insecurities have stemmed from situations such as this, which is why I related to Dante so