Independent+Novel+Study-+The+Art+of+Racing+In+The+Rain

media type="custom" key="12107781"December 2nd- Journal Entry 1: The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein pgs. 1 - 61 ch 1-11

Q. 1: What information did you need to know before reading the novel?

From the blurb on the back of the book, you know that the book is centred around a dog who is sharing his wisdoms through the narration of his life story. The title refers to Enzo's owner and best friend, Denny, who is a a racecar driver who is especially talented at driving in the rain.

Q. 2: Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective affect the way the story is told?

The first few pages are a bit confusing if you do not know that Enzo, the dog, is the narrator. The way he views the human race is fresh and different; He questions our mannerisms and envies us our apposable thumbs. Enzo shows the reader how much he understands, and try as he might, sometimes his intentions don't come across the way he would like them to. The perspective of a dog is interesting to the story because information that you would get if a person were the narrator would be vastly different, but in this case I think it suits it because his view is not clouded too much by emotion, only fierce loyalty.

Q. 3: Why did you select this novel?

I picked this novel because I had heard good things about it, and because the idea of the much different perspective of a pet would probably be something I would enjoy. Although it looks cheerful and 'fluffy' on the outside, I can tell from just reading 61 pages that this book will be insightful, heartwrenching, and meaningful, with a mix of fast-paced actiony bits and tender moments. So far it has been very well-written and the characters are believable. The pace has been swift, already into a problem of Denny's wife, Eve being sick, as it just eludes to that fact has Enzo can see her sickness in her head. I like how it switched from introducing the situation with the real-time part where Enzo is old, and then it switches back to when he and his family were younger but with Enzo's hindsight- and wisdom- filled commentary.

The title seemed a little misleading at first, but now I can already start to see that it might just be a mataphor. The parts of the book so far with the racing tapes were really intruiging, and what I think will be a key manifesto in the book has emerged from them: that which you manifest is before you. It is a really good quote about if you believe in yourself, you can do it.

December 9, 2011- Journal Entry 2 //pgs. 62 - 127 ch 12-23// The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein

Q. 1: What's going on as the story begins? Enzo introduces his family as the family grows. He is reflecting on his life so he goes in chronolgical order from when he was a puppy with just Denny to when he gets older and Eve comes along, then Zoe. their daughter.

Q. 2: What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character? Enzo sees his family's struggles and wants to help and knows how to, but is incapable of voicing his opinions, only through his quiet actions. The first major issue faced is Eve's sickness, which is later revealed as brain cancer. It pulls the family apart, and Enzo tries his best to do what he thinks is right to support all members of the family and keep them together. He feels like it is his duty to protect them.

Q. 3: Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? GIve examples and explain. The author took into account when choosing language to use that although this is a work of fiction, he wanted to make it realistic and the way to make it seem like it was through the eyes of a dog was to use relatively simple language. Enzo is a smart dag, and while he can pick up on concepts and feelings, he doesn't always have the words for it, like when he knew that Eve was sick but didn't know how to describe it, even to himself.

Q. 4: What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? The novel is mostly set in Seattle, as this is where Enzo's family home is. He has sort of flashbacks to other places, but mostly it is in his house, Eve's parent's house, or various cars or parking lots, at least so far. The ssetting geographically isn't really important within reason, for example it could be anywhere else in the U.S. but probably not South America. The way the characters are involved in their environment and their specific circumstances would probably change if the setting was drasticaly different.

Enzo is very clever. He picks up on things so much, to the point that the people around him think he is just a dumb dog. He fights against his instincts, like eating quickly, to try to be more human. Most people that he encounters doubt him and cannot see past his limitations to see his intelligence and genuine caring. The peple that do know him, however, like Denny and eventually Eve, can see his true soul and talk to him and treat him like a person.

December 15, 2011- Journal Entry 3 //pgs. 127 - 200 24-35// Q. 1: What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses? Things get increasingly difficult with Eve's sickness, and then she dies. It becomes hard for Denny to be himself and a good father in the face of his grief. He has to deal with Eve's family and his own merging together and coming apart all because of Eve's death. The was a line on page 166 that summed it up nicely, "For Eve, her death was the end of a painful battle. For Denny it was just the beginning." This was a bit of foreshadowing to the struggle with Eve's parents.

//Q. 2:// What plot twists or unexpected events happen as the novel goes on? After Eve's death, Eve's parents sue Denny for custody of Zoe. I was not expecting this, or what happened next. He was accused of raping one of Eve's relatives that he had met at a family reunion before Eve died when Denny drove this girl, Annika, home through a bad storm and she came on to him when they were back at Denny's house after driving through a nasty storm. He did not hurt her in any way, of course, but obviously the allegations were timed to make Denny seem like an unfit father so Eve's parets, or The Twins as Enzo refers to them, would get custody of Zoe. This is where I stopped reading, so right now the future seems pretty bleak.

Q. 3: Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events? Even though the events are being told in the past tense, they are fairly easy to follow because they are lined up in chronological order. Some of the details that would be there if the narrator had been human are sometimes missing, the author has made Enzo very observant. That said, it creates an interesting perspective so in some cases you get more insight, even if there is less fine detail.

I was very emotional as I was reading this section. I did not realize how emotionally attached to the characters I had become. I felt sadness, anger, loyalty, all things that Enzo has in plenty. I think having the novel set through a dog's eyes highlights these emotions, and I am quite enjoying it. To see human interactions and emotions through an animal's eyes is, well, eye opening.

Jan. 6, 2012- Jornal Entry 4 pgs. 201-257

q.1: Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? How is it shown? I think the themes of the book so far are family, love, loyalty, and bravery. The main conflict and how it is getting resolved (the custody battle) demonstrate these elements. For example, Denny is fighting to keep his family together through hardships, and he keeps going because of his love. It shows that he is brave, and because Enzo looks up to him, he tries to do that as well when he protects Eve and Zoe.

q.2: To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence. I think it could be aimed at anyone over the age of, say, 13ish but I think people a bit older would enjoy it more or get more of the references. There is a bit of mature stuff, like some of the reasons for the legal battle and some language, but that's not so bad. I would say that people who liked dogs, car racing, or both would enjoy the book more than those who don't but the people that don't could still read it and enjoy it because the themes (family, love, loyalty) are pretty universal and the characters are believable.

q.3: How are the major and minor conflicts solved? By the end of this section, the problems have not all been solved, but they are improving a bit. Denny is still fighting for Zoe against the 'Evil Twins' as Enzo refers to them.(Zoe's grandparents) He gains some visitation rights, and there is a wonderful scene where Denny takes her go-carting and she beats him. Enzo takes his own revenge on the Twins in his own special way (let's just say it wasn't pretty, yet supremely satisfying.) At one point, it seems as if Denny will lose his lawyer because he can't pay his because he cannot go out of state while the legal procedings are going on and therefore cannot take teaching jobs far away. This gets resolved when he suddenly sells his house to pay the debt and Denny and Enzo move into an apartment.

There are small chapters interspersed with the storyline that explain about driving techniques or famous drivers which usually tie in to the problem at hand or are a metaphor for something going on. It is cool to learn a bit about car racing while getting more insight on the story.

Jan. 13- Journal Entry 5 pgs. 258-321

Q.1: Is the novel believable? The events in this novel are not typical, but they are plauseable and set with believable characters, so yes I think this novel is believable. I think the author portrayed Enzo, the main character in a way that was if not accurate, but familiar, especially to dog owners who know just how human they can be. I think the main struggles, like having a difficult family or 'bumps in the road', are things that most people can relate to even if they had not had the same experiences or to that extent. Q.2: Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend? I would recommend this to certain friends, but not others. It is definetly a great book and I really enjoyed it but I know some people wouldn't get the same things out of it. I found some of the plot really intense and I don't think some of my friends would like that part, but on the other hand it is really funny and heartfelt and I think anyone who read this book would enjoy that aspect. Q.3: Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations? I didn't really know what to expect when I first started reading this book, but never did I expect the amazing story inside. On the outside it seems like a 'fluffy' book about a dog and his race car driving owner, but it actually touched on some really big things like love, loyalty, family, hope, perseverance, patience, and other things along those lines. I was really emotional as I read this book because I really felt for the characters. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It didn't meet my expectations; It exceded them. The ending was really great. At the very end of the last actual chapter, Enzo dies. It sounds like it ends there but there is sort of an epilogue where Denny is now a famous Formula One driver for Fererri in Italy. He is sitting on the grass on the track after a race when his daughter, now a grown woman, comes over to him with a man and his young son. The man says his son is a racing prodigy and that he practically worships Denny. When Denny asks what the little boy's name is, and he replies with 'Enzo', Denny is taken aback and realizes tyhat this is his Enzo come back to say hello. Denny gives the man his phone number and tells him that he will help little Enzo with his racing. This ending is nice because it ties it all up. We know that Denny was sucessful in his career and Zoe grew up with her dad, and finally that Enzo has indeed come back. It also gives a sense of future where the 'new' Enzo is going to do potentially great things.

Focus Assignment #2: Character Sketch

**Enzo is the main character in this novel, as well as the narrator. While sometimes it seems like he is only a witness to the storyline, he does actually have a great effect on the characters and outcome. He is a dog (a mix of lab and what he thinks is terrier) with a brown-black, slightly wiry coat. He belongs to Denny Swift, his master, teacher, and best friend. Fitting to his namesake, Enzo Ferrari, he loves speed and auto racing, mostly because Denny is an up-and-coming race car driver. He has learned a lot about race car driving, and applied it into life lessons, such as balance, anticipation, and patience. Enzo is very loyal to Denny, and eventually to his wife and daughter and always tries to be there for them and protect them, like staying with Eve when she was sick or playing with Zoe when she was sad. Enzo is very clever and thinks almost like a human. He understands complex things like love and fear from being very observant of the people around him (and watching countless hours of television). Enzo is not only wise but spiritual as well; he believes in reincarnation and karma. After seeing a documentary that talked about how after dogs in Mongolia die, their spirits are released to run free in the hills until they are ready to return as a human, Enzo was convinced that he too would return as a human after his canine life. After a long life with Denny and his family as it came, went, and came again, he has learned many lessons about perseverance, family, bravery, hope, and what it means to be human, as only a dog could see all of these things. He wishes he were a human because he has all of this knowledge but, because of his canine limitations, cannot express himself in the way that he would like to. For example, he can tell that Eve is sick but cannot tell anyone or he knows the truth but cannot bear witness. However, he tries his best to act human, training himself almost, like when he tries (in vain) to eat slowly. Enzo gets mixed reactions from the other characters in the book; some love him right away (Denny, Zoe), some warm up to him (Eve, Denny’s friends), and some just dismiss him as a dumb dog (Eve’s parents). Most people that he encounters doubt him and cannot see past his limitations to see his intelligence and genuine caring. The people that do know him, however, like Denny and eventually Eve, can see his true soul and talk to him and treat him like a person. Enzo is very intuitive, so he can tell how others feel about him, and he reacts accordingly (for example, he knows that what Eve’s parents are doing is wrong, so he doesn’t like them very much.) **


 * I don’t think I would want to be Enzo because even though he is treated well, he goes through a lot of tough things and struggles with being a dog sometimes. I would, however like to know Enzo because he is very loyal and wise and would make an excellent friend and companion, just like he is to Denny, Zoe, and Eve. **


 * Enzo is a very believable character. Immediately, I loved him for his witty and wise take on auto racing and life. He is so sincere and loving and moral; you cannot help but silently root for him. The results of his actions don’t always work out, but his intentions are always good, always trying to support and protect his family. Overall, he is an unforgettable character full of heart and humour. **