University High School 6 (2)

Stereotypes can contribute to stigmas, especially regarding mental health. Ari's repression of his emotions is influenced by his struggles with identity, societal expectations, and his Latino heritage. His journey of self-discovery revolves around this theme. His dad and the environment at home also promote repression. Dante, on the other hand, is more emotional and his parents encourage expression. There is a stigma around men and emotions, which relates to stereotypes. So, while we are talking about stereotypes, I also would like to add that I think that stereotypes can play into stigmas, specifically surrounding mental health. From start to finish, when we meet Ari, he's always, he has baggage and depression at some times and he really bottles his emotions. So, how do you feel about Ari's repression with his emotions and how does that impact his mental health? Well, repression is just a part of who he is. It really stems from his struggles with his identity, his emotions and societal expectations and stuff. He really suppresses his feelings a lot too, mostly regarding his Latino heritage and sexuality and how complex his relationships can get. But this is also like a core theme in his journey of self-discovery. And you said like there's people in his life that bring him down or even like promote repression like his dad who, as we know, Ari has adapted a lot of his dad's behavior as he conceals his emotions about his feelings about the war and how he lets it live inside him. And so, I think that a household could promote repression based on the environment as well. And Dante also is applicable to this because he's more emotional than Ari is, but also his parents kind of encourage emotion and they're more open than Ari's family is. So we see that in Dante a lot and we also see in Ari parts of both his parents like secretive parts and there's just a stigma around men, I feel like, and emotions, which we did talk about with stereotypes. But, yeah.