Racing In The Rain Themes

In “The Art of Racing in the Rain” there are many reoccurring themes. In Garth Stein’s novel, themes are used to convey the story line. A theme is the subject of talk, a person’s thoughts, or reoccurring message throughout the story. In a novel a there can be one major theme or there can be many minor themes. The author, in this particular novel, had used multiple themes to convey one colossal message. The bond between man and dog conveys themes of love, trust and family. Garth Stein uses the themes in this story to show the bond humans can have with each other and with animals. Throughout the whole book, loyalty seems to be the main theme amongst the characters. There is very recognizable loyalty between Enzo and Denny specifically. Dogs usually act out if they want something, they crave attention, but even in times of misbehavior, they are always loyal to their master; they obey orders and act accordingly. Enzo, unlike other dogs is different, he feels more human than dog. Enzo states, “I’ve always felt almost human. I’ve always known that there’s something about me that’s different than other dogs.” (Stein 2) …show more content…
Family is love, it is people who care. In “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, family used as a theme had its good times and its rough times. Eve, Zoë, and Denny made a happy family, their life was not perfect, but it was good. Amongst families there are sometimes disagreements, arguments, and fighting. In this novel the reader comes to realize that family isn’t always by your side, always there to have your back. Maxwell and Trish, the grandparents of Zoë, were a prime example of distrust in a family. They use what they think is their best judgment to try and to fight for custody of Zoë when Eve dies. They go against Denny, and create a permanent separation from there on out, between Denny and