Racing In The Rain Analysis

The Art of Racing in the Rain Analysis
“I know this much about racing in the rain. I know it is about balance. It is about anticipation and patience.” (Stein 314). The Art of Racing in the Rain answers many different questions about what it truly means to be a good human being and live a well-balanced life. This novel, written by Garth Stein, explains the answers to questions like these through a dog’s interpretation of human life. The main character and narrator, Enzo, compares living a balanced human life in the midst of challenges and struggles to racing a car in the rain. Although he is not able to become directly involved with the main plot of the story, Enzo witnesses the lives of his owners and tries to analyze and understand what they are going through. He believes that he will be reincarnated as a man at the end of his life as a dog and wants to learn as much as he can. Enzo’s perspective on human life gives the reader a better understanding of what it

He believes that in order to do this, a human must not think only for themselves. “To be a champion, you must have no ego at all. You must not exist as a separate entity. You must give yourself over to the race. You are nothing if not for your team, your car, your shoes, your tires.” (Stein 314). While living your own life in a world full of other humans, it is important to realize that life does not revolve around you and to appreciate the fact that there are people who are there to support you and guide you, acting as a racing team. A human needs to have friends and family to depend on, and to be there for others when they need someone to depend on. Therefore, a good human can’t just focus on their own success or personal achievements. A champion racer gives credit to others when they reach their goal. This notion acts as the final part of the author’s comparison of racing and living life as a good human