Drug and alcohol abuse
The novel clearly depicts the imagery associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Ari's day involves a hangover, a morning joint to cure it, alongside coffee, which is dehydrating like alcohol. Then he finds speed, and by the end of the day, he is exhausted, dehydrated, poorly nourished, and ashamed of himself. The problem with this imagery is that he accepts it as normal, but it prohibits him from fixing the problems in his life.
Sexual repression through imagery
Ari's experience of reality is shaped by unfulfilled desires, and because his parents are pretty religious, he has to sort through his relationship to shame. He experiences a fair deal of homosexual attraction, which typically leads to rash, frustrated behavior, and sometimes anger. Then, he has spontaneous sex with Con, whose name sounds somewhat discouraging, but isn't happy. George notices Ari's struggle and points him toward acceptance and honesty.
Imagery of entertainment
Ari is able to distract himself from his own unhappiness by entertain himself with loud environments with lots of people. He lives in community and is part of a scene. He attends parties and clubs and participates as a partier in that environment, but then he is unable to face facts later. For instance, when George encourages Ari to accept himself as a homosexual, Ari attacks him. This is proof that Ari's "fun" day was darker and more hopeless than he is willing to admit.
Religious imagery
The parents are religious imagery, because they are religious, yes, but also because they are Ari's parents. Parents are symbols of divine authority because as a child, Ari depended on his parents with no knowledge of how to sustain himself. Humans aren't like giraffes that come out of the womb nearly complete. Humans have to learn for years before they can participate in society, but Ari's parents hold religious ideas about sexuality. Ari watches them go to church, knowing that ironically all their religion makes them more unlikely to accept him for who he is. The novel is about this self love and acceptance, which suggests that the real religion is love.
