Themes: Ari (Aristotle), Dante, and their parents
Characters: Identity, Sexuality, Love
Summary:
Ari and Dante are friends that meet one summer at the pool.
Dante offers to teach Ari how to swim. Ari is an angry, loner. He came from an
estrange family – his brother is a jail, his dad has PTSD. Dante is playful and
artistic, coming from a professional family. His dad is a professor of English
Lit. The story is about their love for each other. It first starts off as a
friendship and grows into lovers. Ari is in denial of his sexuality and his
love for Dante. Ari receives a red Chevy truck and takes Dante to the desert
and they just talk. Dante uses words Ari has never heard of, it like he’s a new
universe. Ari learns how to let go of the anger and he confides to his parents
of his love from Dante.
The story hits home on tradition Mexican gender roles. Males
are supposed to be machismo (manly and strong) and females are caretakers and
housewives. Homosexuality is still taboo
in the Mexican culture. As a Mexican-American, we are taught to have tradition
roles in the household. The lesson from the story is that it is okay to be yourself
and love who you choose.
No comments:
Post a Comment