Enzo's The Art Of Racing In The Rain

It has become paramount that composers utilise various techniques in order to influence an individual’s perception of the world. As seen through the eyes of an Aspergers sufferer, Christopher Boone, Mark Haddon’s inventive novel entitle ‘The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night Time’, skilfully portrays how the decisions of significant characters and their relationships shape the overall message about the difficulties of living with a limiting social condition. This is challenged from the unique perspective of Christopher and explicitly seen through the relationship between the protagonist and both his parents. Haddon employs a myriad of techniques through the concepts of the conflicting nature of love, the desperation for a world of

“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours...he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty,” says John Grogan, author of Marley & Me. Although dogs are just animals, they can bring out the best characteristics in people. Recently, an exploration of one of the most well-known pieces of canine non-fiction and an exploration of my own life has taught me just how true this is. In John Grogan’s Marley & Me and in my life, patience, flexibility, and love are frequently illustrated.

In James Hurst’s short story “The Scarlet Ibis”, the Brother pushed Doodle to learn how to walk, swim, run and various activities so that Doodle would not seem to be crippled. Through the Brother's characterization, conflicts and eventual resolution, Hurst suggested that one's overwhelming selfishness, pride and cruelty can result in the death of a loved brother.

Animals by Simon Rich is an outstanding short story which takes a unique perspective on the everyday life in a classroom. The story is written from the point of view of a hamster who spends his tortured life entrapped in a cage. From the first point in this story, it is clear that the purpose of the writing is not to understand the hamster, but rather to analyze the different actions of the people, and to discover that how they act towards the hamsters reflects on their character. It is curious to view the everyday interactions of people through a different set of eyes, that is done by humanizing the narrator’s perspective. Based on the actions of the many people and the treatment of the class pet, the author suggests that human nature is very much a product of the financial circumstances a person is subjected to.

The dogs passing could be seen as a metaphor for the Beth leaving her husband on his own to provide for himself, to take care of any possessions she may have had, and to fight his depression alone. The main character is now having feelings of loneliness and depression. The first paragraph states that "inside is warm", and "outside is cold", This could be tied as symbolism of the fact that he is secluding himself from the world. When the dog passed away the main character said that "it's not my dog, but it's my responsibility", this can make the reader think of all of the other responsibilities that the main character was left with. There are definitely some parallels between the dog and Beth. They both end up being burdens on the main character and leaving behind more for him to deal with. After the dog passes away the main character says "the blood on the carpet of the car is out of sight, and I will pretend it isn’t there. And then there's the touch." The touch can be seen as how the dog emotionally affected him by passing away. The dog did bring sadness to the main characters life due to the memories the main character seemed to have when he interacted with the dog. "I watched my hand volunteer itself and run its finger through the nap of his head". The way this sentence is put together makes it sound as if his caring for the dog was an involuntary action.

In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon uses Christopher’s unique voice to show the importance of human connection and communication within our world. In doing so, Haddon is able to communicate the importance of order and stability in Christopher’s life. This creates a unique perspective of an aspergus sufferer, enabling an exploration of the difficulties inherent in raising an autistic child and thus alters the perceptions of the reader concerning the complex connection between disability and dependence.

For example, when Gracie is looking at her reflection in the mirror, Gracie mentions that “Max found God in her” life (6). When Gracie specifies that particular detail, the protagonist is demonstrating that the dog has won Gracie’s heart. Indeed, Max’s “pure love” has open Gracie’s heart and brought themselves nearer to each other. In fact, the dog is her whole life when Harvey left Gracie. Therefore, the author uses a dog to show us that leaving behind weak relationships can cause positive emotions.

The first page of The Art of Racing in the Rain is enough to get the reader hooked. ”Gestures are all that I have. Sometimes they must be grand in nature” (Stein, 2008). The story is being told from a dogs point of view. Enzo cannot communicate the way he’d like to by using words and sounds, so he must rely on his actions and his gestures to tell him story to his owner. So he pours his heart out into his book. The beginning of the book starts out with the dog, Enzo,

In a world of empathy and selfishness, one must always prevail. The short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst tells a tale of a young boy and his disabled younger brother, Doodle. The narrator, also known as Brother, recalls the life of his brother and how his own actions and emotions affect his brother’s experiences. Brother’s pride determines whether he acts empathetic or selfish towards his sibling. In “The Scarlet Ibis” Hurst uses diction, symbolism, foreshadowing, and imagery to fabricate a remorseful mood as Brother looks back on his past, a compassionate feeling when the ibis dies, and a regretful mood when Doodle dies.

In her essay “Living Like Weasels”, Annie Dillard explores the idea of following a single calling in life, and attaching one’s self it this calling as the weasel on Ernest Thompson Seton’s eagle had. Dillard presents her argument using the analogy of a weasel and how the; “weasel lives as he’s meant to, yielding at every moment to the perfect freedom of single necessity” (Dillard). In constructing her argument, however, she often contradicts herself undermining the effectiveness of her argument and leaving the reader confused. Dillard primarily uses ethos and pathos to support her argument and concerning both, the reader discovers; inconsistencies in her character, and conflicts between her perceptions of the weasel’s emotions and its actions. Concerning her ethos, Dillard presents herself as a part of suburbia and then is suddenly, inexplicably overcome by the desire to live wild. Dillard also uses very detailed language throughout the essay in describing her surroundings and thoughts, however; this further undermines her argument and ethos as she is trying to convince the reader that she could simply become as simple and single minded as the weasel she has focused her argument around. With her use of pathos, Dillard begins her essay with descriptions of the weasel’s brutality, yet; she concludes by stating the weasel lives as is necessary. By simplifying her experience and presenting a reasonable explanation for why she wanted to

People will do anything they can to save a relationship. In the book The Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein explores mental and physical perseverance in the face of hardship. Throughout the book, Denny deals with grief from the loss of his wife and problems that directly follow because of it. Adversity after adversity in Denny’s life seem to turn it completely upside down. Throughout the loss of Eve, custody battles over Zoe, and false accusations of rape against Denny, Stein emphasizes the importance of perseverance through times when giving up seems easy.

In the short story “Living Like Weasels” authored by Annie Dillard, the role of a small, furry, brown-colored rodent’s life develops an extreme significance as the story progresses. According to Dillard, the life that a weasel lives is care free and passionate. Weasels are very tenacious creatures and what they have their eye set on something they want, they go and get it. Also, when Dillard says “The weasel lives in necessity and we live in choice” in “Living Like Weasels,” the words can be deeply felt by the reader; we are able to not only feel Dillard’s passion for this underlying opinion of hers, but readers can also develop their own view on what she is saying and find evidence to prove their thoughts (121). The way that everyday

John Steinbeck is an author that creates an illusion of life in animalistic terms. Throughout the course of the novella, animal characteristics are given to the character Lennie. The author compares the character to an animal along with explaining the physicality and interactive movement of the character. “These are made acceptable and indeed moving because of the genuine sweetness on feels in Steinbeck’s nature and because he sees these human beings as being at least as dignified as animals” (Allen 325). Human beings have instincts and behaviors that are similar to animals. Steinbeck’s personal interest of humans portray under the living qualities of animals. “Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water…” (Steinbeck 3). Steinbeck compares

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is a philosophical novel told from the point of view of a dog. Through the absurdist persona assumed by the author, the author attempts to shed light on the larger human condition. The book is told from the point of view of Enzo, a supremely intelligent animal. Enzo dreams of becoming a human race car driver like his owner, Denny Smith, in his next lifetime. "The race is long. It is better to drive within oneself and finish the race behind the other than it is to drive too hard and crash" (Stein 291). However, although Enzo regrets the fact that he has been born a dog and longs to be reborn in his next life into human form, the novel suggests that the mute wisdom of dogs is often more compassionate and intelligent than the supposed civilized conduct of humans.

Throughout the last two weeks, I have been reading Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. The Art of Racing in the Rain is 336 pages and I finished the book. This book was written from a dog-named Enzo’s point of view. The dogs owner, Denny, was an amateur racecar driver, a dad, and a husband. His wife eventually died from cancer, so all he had left was his dog and daughter. Denny’s daughter, Zoe stayed with her grandparents and mom while she was dying, so Denny could continue to work and his wife could be with her parents. After his wife’s death the grandparents thought it would be best if Zoe stayed with them because Denny was very sad and they didn’t think he was capable of caring for a child. Denny was not happy with that at all