Theme Of Sexuality In Ari And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe

People strive for acceptance. Not only from themselves but from their teachers, peers, overseers, etc. Most important, though, is acceptance from parents. In the book Ari and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, A young Mexican boy is going through a time of his life where he is completely unsure of himself and what his parents think of him. Similarly, in ¨How We Fight for Our Lives¨ by Saeed Jones, Another boy is seeking the approval of his mother towards his sexuality. Thus, they exhibit a similar idea: in order for one to feel accepted, their parents must accept them first. Examples of this are shown when Saeed speaks about his sexuality to his mother and when Harry's parents come to him about his sexuality.

One of the main characters, Aristotle (Also known as Ari), undergoes major character development when trying to understand his sexuality. He finds himself pitying his best friend, Dante, whom he might be in love with. This sparks a conversation between him and his parents about this confusion he is experiencing, ¨´What am I going to do?´My father's voice was soft. ´Dante did not run. I keep picturing him taking all those blows. But he didn't run ¨(Saenz 350). Ari then responds by saying, ¨´Okay´ I said. For once in my life, I understood my father perfectly. And he understood me¨(Saenz 350). Ari comes to his parents for advice because ultimately, they are the ones he trusts most. Throughout the book, his dad has always kept to himself. Yet now, when Ari finally opens up to him, he gives Ari affirmation of what he wants him to do next. Additionally, when Ari says¨And he understood me¨, it is evident that he is relieved that his father finally accepted him and he no longer has to drag on with the guilt that the people he loves most do not love him back. In another piece of literature, ¨How We Fight for Our Lives¨ by Saeed

During Ari and Dante's Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the author includes how an alternate character, Dante, defies his parent's morals. He is able to independently live with himself without his parent's approval. When talking about his new life in Chicago, he says, ¨My mom would kill me if she knew I was experimenting with mood-altering substances. Beer and Pot. Not so bad. But my mom would have a different opinion about that…My eyes glaze over when she gives me the drug talk and she gives me one of her looks¨(Sáenz 174). Dante is consciously overriding his parents. He does something, such as using drugs, while knowing his mother disapproves of it. With that, he completely disregards how he was raised and starts to do things on his own. This, in turn, means that he is able to live with himself knowing that his parents would be disappointed with him. But, while that may be possible for Dante, it is not possible for the others that undergo these types of situations. Conflictingly, in ¨How We Fight for Our Lives¨ by Saeed Jones¨, Saeed is overtaken by the guilt he has of not pleasing his mother. He speaks about how he is unable to communicate with her and how much it affects him by stating, ¨And me. I couldn't even summon the nerve to talk to her about any of the guys I dated for how much I secretly loathe myself. Much less