Finding Sense of Self in Aristotle and Dante

 

For the past few weeks, I have been reading a book called Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. I had heard about it a few times online, and so I decided to borrow it from the library, only to be slapped in the face with some of the most beautiful writing I have ever seen that reads so musically I forgot more than once that the book was prose– and now, this may be one of my favorite novels I’ve ever read.

Aristotle and Dante (for short) is a book following two teenagers in 1980’s El Paso, Texas: Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza, and Dante Quintana. Dante is carefree, kind and artistic, giving little mind to what others think of him. Ari is the opposite— he is a quiet, closed off person easily prone to anger and worries extensively about his masculine image, often confused by Dante's way of thinking. They become friends quickly after meeting despite their differing personalities, though it doesn’t take Dante very long to feel like something is off about his relationship with Ari. Unfortunately, he has little time to process this as he and his family move to Chicago, making the two only able to occasionally write letters to each other. Although he tries more than once to discuss what he feels to Ari, Ari either blows it off or ignores it entirely, not wanting to consider the idea that he is anything other than what he is “meant” to be.

Only when Dante’s family moves back a year later is Ari forced to consider it, as when Dante is brutally beaten by a group of kids in his neighborhood for being gay, Ari finds himself more filled with rage than he has ever been in his life– but for what? Some guy that he was somewhat friends with and hasn’t even seen in a whole year? Some guy that he deeply admires and loves being around and sent someone to the hospital for, but definitely not in a romantic way, because why would it be, right? 

The author’s writing style feels almost like a poem rather than a novel at times, minimalist but incredibly vivid. The storyline as well as character growth relies much less on linear plot as it does with heavy symbolism, leaving a lot up to interpretation for the reader. My personal favorite example of this is the frequently recurring significance of water to depict one’s own sense of self, like when Ari learns how to swim and Dante nearly drowns shortly after, only to be saved by Ari. These events line up closely to the two both discovering who they are as people, which is where I believe the clever title comes from, as Dante is a person who is very confident in himself and seldom asks for help, and Ari is just as wary of anything new as he is in his own abilities. 

I originally thought this book was going to be a sci-fi due to the name, or maybe some sort of supernatural story– but I was pleasantly surprised and enjoy much more that it is implied “the secrets of the universe” are not actually some vaguely defined mission like the edge of the world or the secrets of time and space, but the path one takes to find their place in that universe, as well as what and where they want to end up as. Aristotle and Dante shows that, to truly grow, you need to accept who you already are; even the ugly bits that are difficult to admit.

-Livy