The Art Of Racing In The Rain Analysis

Enzo is a dog fictionalized by Garth Stein in the novel The Art of Racing in the Rain. Garth Stein has achieved much success with this novel, selling more than 4 million copies in 35 languages. Not only is Enzo's story a novel, but it is also a children's book. It was adapted into a children's book in 2014 and Disney may soon put Stein's interpretation on the big screen. Readers of this novel will meet our protagonist Enzo, his owner Denny, Denny's partner Eve, and their daughter Zoe. Enzo is a dog that is very aware of his surroundings and he understands the human world quite well. The Art of Racing in the Rain is full of race car references which Enzo connects to life, making this a major theme. From a young age, Enzo has been curious about

Enzo raises the issue on Science versus spiritualism and his argument seems very valid. He says, “Why can’t they see that spiritualism and science are one? That bodies evolve and souls evolve and the universe is a fluid place that marries them both in a wonderful package called a human being” (Stein 18). Enzo has no religious background, therefore his opinion does vary a bit, but he brings up a good point about humans’ ignorance on such topics. As a dog, Enzo’s communication skills are limited and he envies humans for their ways of communication, but he also calls them out on their communication ability. Enzo showed me how horrible humans are at listening to one another, he says, “People, if you pay attention to them, change the direction of one another’s conversations constantly” (101). His advice to us is also stated, “Pretend you are a dog like me and listen to other people rather than steal their stories” (101). Enzo explains to the reader that humans interrupt each other constantly, instead of listening to each other. The issues brought up in The Art of Racing in the Rain are not only limited to these two issues, but they range from living your life one day at a time to the human flaws that we all possess and he offers a point of view that is not only that of a dog, but of someone who understands the human world