Aristotle and Dante’s relationship reads like the most confusing bromance ever. Obviously this is from Ari’s perspective and holds his biases over the entire thing, but I think that all that needs to happen now is for Ari to get his head out of the sand.
I sympathize with him, I actually do, because of the things he has been taught. Men are strong and silent (like his dad) or they join gangs and are tough (like his brother, maybe) but there is no inbetween. That is, I think until Dante starts breaking down those stereotypes. In his own personality, and breaking the masks of the people he defined manliness by. He gave Ari’s dad a book about Mexican artists and Ari was shocked. His dad had studies art? That doesn’t really fit his ideas of what a man does. Now, obviously Ari doesn’t know that this is what Dante is doing (and maybe Dante doesn’t know either) but it is certainly affecting Ari. Ari sees himself as a mexican who likes to fight and likes girls and is strong and stoic like his dad but isn’t a gangster because he isn’t stupid. That is how Ari sees himself and I think he tries to push that mold onto Dante but it could never work. It can’t work simply because Dante never learned that mold, never knew those were the standards he should ascertain (in Ari’s view). If Ari were able to read this book, I think it would hit him like a ton of bricks. OH MY GOD OF COURSE YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH HIM YOU BIG DUMB BLOB OF HUMAN-NESS! You literally jumped in front of a car for him. I love my best friends, but I don’t know if I would do that so instinctually.
Ari, get it together man. I love you, but get it together.
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