READ 96 Group 3 am discussion

Journal 3
My pleasure reading novel that I chose is called, “The Art of Racing In the Rain” by Garth Stein. It is about a dog named Enzo, who on the eve of his death, he recalls his life with his owner Denny which includes his wife Eve and daughter Zoe. Enzo is a very venerable dog that has a theory: that after he dies he will be reincarnated into a man and will eventually meet Denny and simply shake his hand. Enzo is a very different dog as he is very philosophical and has a good knowledge about racecar driving since it is Denny’s profession. Before Eve and Zoe became present in the novel, Enzo would spend the majority of his time watching television and analyzing documentaries of famous thinkers such as Stephen Hawking. He also uses figurative language involving racecar driving to show how much knowledge he has. Enzo recalls the time when Denny adopted Enzo from a farm. He mentions how he odd it was to not have a relationship with his father and how his mother was ultimately glad that she had one less dog to take care of. Ever since Denny adopted him, Enzo feels that he was his family all along. The two were peas in a pod. However, the relationship between Denny and him slowly start shifting once Eve enters the picture. He feels awkward, as he has not had any other close relationship with another human. At first, he felt that Eve was being very inconsiderate about how he feels about the whole situation. Enzo does not know it, but Eve does respect him. One day, she asks him, “You don’t mind if I love him too, do you?” This made Enzo feel calmer and felt appeased. Right after Denny and Eve were married, their daughter Zoe was born. Enzo now felt an obligation to be her protector because Denny asked him too and Enzo obliged which was very altruistic of him. Enzo decides that he would like to educate himself further and claims that he attempted to watch “Sesame Street” with Zoe and learn the number and alphabets but for some reason he could not comprehend it. He theorized that it is a major inconvenience being a dog and if he were a human he would be able to learn the material better. As time progresses, Enzo notices a foul smell in Eve’s scent. He realizes that she is sick but she has not developed her symptoms. He carries a certain amount of guilt on him as he claims that if he were able to talk to humans he would prevent her sickness. When Eve passes, her parents decide to take Zoe away form Denny as they inform him that being a racecar driver is dangerous for Zoe and does not want her to lose another parent. Fortunately, he is able to retrieve her. On the night Enzo dies, the moment is bittersweet as he informs him that he is allowed to leave. One day during one of Denny’s races, he encounters a man who says, “Enzo says hi.” Denny wonders what the meant for the rest of his life.

Rework source sentence...have it focus on main idea. Good start.