Racing In The Rain Reflection

The Art of Racing In The Rain, written by Garth Stein, in my opinion, would make an excellent movie. A good film is able to play with someones emotions, they can make people think, laugh cry and or be surprised. The Art of Racing In The Rain would make for an excellent film because it is original, it pulls at the audiences emotions and has many valuable lessons.

Garth Stein’s book, The Art of Racing In The Rain, is original in the sense that unlike regular films, the story is told through the eyes of a dog named Enzo. Enzo is an elderly dog who loves racing and wants nothing more than to become human. The originality of this book would make it a great film because it is something that has yet to be seen. Another aspect that would make this

novel a good movie is its interesting characters. Enzo’s is not just a normal dog, he thinks like a human and is just as intelligent as one. Another interesting character is his owner, Denny. Denny works at a mechanic shop and is also a race care driver. Interesting characters such as Denny and Enzo are able to add onto the story, making it more intriguing.

The best movies can be emotional roller coasters. Take the Titanic, by James Cameron, for example. Throughout the movie, there are times where the audience experience happiness and of course, at the end, sadness. In The Art of Racing In The Rain, the emotions are mixed. There are times where the mood is cheerful, like when Enzo and his owner are watching past clips of race car driving. However, there are also moments where the mood becomes extremely sad, such as when Enzo talks about Denny’s late wife, Eve. On page 166, a quote, which in my opinion, changed the mood of the book was said by Enzo. “For Eve, her death was the end of a painful battle. For Denny it was the beginning.”. This quote changed the mood of the novel from cheerful to sad. When a book or a movie pulls at the audiences emotions, the individual may feel as if they have a stronger connection to it, which therefore will make the film stronger.

Throughout Garth Stein’s novel there are many valuable lessons to be learned. In my opinion, one of the most impactful lessons that could have been learned from this book is facing our fears. A quote that directly correlates to this lesson can be found on page 277, “There is no dishonour in losing the race. There is only dishonour in not racing because you are afraid to lose.”. The meaning of this quote, in my opinion, is that if an individual is afraid to try something because they fear they will not succeed, then nothing will ever be accomplished. Lessons are a critical aspect in films and can be the deciding factor between a decent movie and a good movie.

Great films and great novels both have things in common. Both are able to leave their readers or audience with valuable lessons that can be remembered for a life time, they are both able to pull at emotions and they both have an originality aspect. The Art of Racing In The Rain, by Garth Stein, without a doubt would be a great film.