Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe

How does having something to care about affect your life?

Conflict Dante falls in love with Ari during the course of the story Ari doesn’t know if he feels the same way Person vs. Self

Introduction “One summer night I fell asleep, hoping the world would be different when I woke.” “I was fifteen, bored and miserable.” Ari does not have any close friends

Initiating Incident When Ari went to the pool he met Dante We learn Ari’s dad is fighting his own personal battles from war Ari doesn’t have the most communicative relationship with his father but has a good relationship with his mom We also learn Ari has an older brother that is jail but his parents do not talk about Bernardo

Rising Action One summer night, the two of them were walking A car was about to hit Dante but then Ari jumped out and pushed him out of the way Ari breaks both of his legs Before Ari didn’t have anyone or anything to care about, now he has someone that he would risk his life for

Rising Action Dante moves to Chicago temporarily When he returns he tells Ari he is certain he is gay Dante kisses Ari but Ari still does not feel anything more for Dante

Rising Action Ari receives a red 1957 Chevy pickup for his birthday It is important to him because it gives him freedom Shows his parents trust him

Rising Action Ari’s parents tell him about Bernardo Bernardo had paid for a prostitute but found out they were transgender He then killed them with his bare fists Bernardo also killed someone else while in juvenile detention

Climax Dante is seen kissing another boy and he is beaten up by a group of boys Dante is in the hospital with a bruised eye, swollen face and broken ribs Ari finds one of the perpetrators and breaks his nose as an act of revenge Turning point because Ari starts to realize how much Dante means to him

Falling Action Ari disapproves of Daniel (the boy Dante was kissing) and Dante gets mad at him Dante stops seeing Daniel because he is only interested in Ari

Resolution Ari’s mom calls a family meeting His dad opens up about war and why it has effected him so much His parents confront Ari and tell him that he has been in love with Dante Ari realizes he was in love with Dante the whole time but he feels ashamed

Ending Ari and Dante drive out to the desert Ari kisses Dante and tells him he has the same feelings for him

Characters Dynamic - Ari: More reserved and shy, he is still trying to figure out his own body and mind Mostly Static - Dante: More outgoing, risk taking, emotional Before Dante, Ari had no friends and he felt there was no meaning of life Now Ari has someone he cares about and is willin Both are fifteen

Theme Change and pain is part of growing up You should night fight personal battles alone It is okay to be yourself and open up to others Mexican heritage

Symbol The desert: A place of freedom, no judgement or obligations The stars: A time to reflect on your life and everything around you Sparrows: Innocence and change

Setting Summer of 1987 El Paso, USA Both Ari and Dante’s houses The desert Setting

“They cracked more than his ribs.” Ari said this after Dante had been beaten up I think he said this because Dante seemed empty when Ari visited him Pg. 325

What to learn from this novel Growing up isn’t always easy but you don’t need to make it hard The thing you are looking for may be in front of you, you just have to reach for it