63 pages • 2 hours read
The Art of Racing in the Rain
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BetaChapters 11-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary
Left alone, Enzo fears for himself. He has three days of drinking toilet water and no food ahead of him. In this stressful environment, Enzo begins to hallucinate. He sees one of Zoe’s stuffed animals—a zebra—move of its own accord and maliciously thrust itself at the other toys, then tear itself apart from the inside.
Denny comes home, clueless of Eve’s condition. He’s initially furious that Eve left Enzo in this condition. Eve fires back at Denny for his constant absence.
They discover that all of Zoe’s stuffed animals have been torn to shreds. Enzo assumes this was the work of the zebra—that a demon possessed it. Rather than admit any sense of ownership, he feels only guilt that he couldn’t protect the other animals.
Denny tells of his victory at the race, but it’s a bittersweet one. He received an offer to join a team for an additional six months of absence.
Denny and Enzo make amends to each other after the zebra incident cools down. Denny offers some recognition and sympathy that Enzo is really a human in dog form.
Chapter 12 Summary
Eve’s condition grows worse, and Denny frets that he can do nothing about it. Enzo feels further isolated in his ability to communicate or get a point across. He reflects how this lack of expression has driven lesser dogs mad. He compares himself, rising to the occasion to help Eve’s emotional well-being, to a driver who can accomplish the impossible against insurmountable odds.
Chapter 13 Summary
Chapters 11-13 Analysis
These chapters explore Enzo’s uneasy relationship with other animals or animal symbols. Zebras symbolize balance and the harmony of opposites, as indicated by its black and white stripes. The fact that Enzo sees the zebra as a malicious figure shows that some balance is off in the household. The zebra toy represents disorder within one’s self, and the threat of unraveling from the inside due to imbalance. It is chaos and the antithesis of control. This is in contrast to Denny’s racing lessons, which encourage control and foresight.
Crows are usually seen as a bad omen and thought to symbolize bad luck. The dream Enzo has with the crow combined with the destruction of Zoe’s stuffed animals foreshadows the worsening of Eve’s illness and her marriage to Denny. Enzo’s hatred of crows may also be due to their opposition to his character. While crows are malevolent and known to play dirty, Enzo is a fierce and loyal protector of his loved ones.
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