The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Art of Racing in the Rain is a brilliant piece by Stein Garth that has adopted the use of an array of techniques such as allegory, motifs, similes, themes, and imagery to showcase the themes of love, communication, reincarnation, and death, among others.
Motif, Gestures, and Communication
In the first line, the author has adopted a metaphorical approach to establish the relationship between the protagonist and other characters. On the first page (Stein 1), Enzo explains that gestures are the only means he can apply to communicate with his family.
Gestures are all that I have; sometimes they must be grand in nature. And while I occasionally step over the line and into the world of the melodramatic, it is what I must do in order to communicate clearly and effectively. (Stein 1)
This statement establishes predominant methods of gesturing, communication, and themes. Enzo relies on the use of actions since he cannot use language to manipulate situations to his advantage. Although it fails to work sometimes such as when Enzo urinates on the floor – he makes Denny feel bad for coming home late – his use of gestures is successful most of the time. In the use of gestures, the author has also incorporated the use of a motif in various situations to discern and appreciate smells to understand situations. For instance, Enzo manages to figure Eve’s situation by smelling a musty smell that is emanating from her ears. The motif of smell is also employed by Enzo to understand the nature of Denny’s food and drinks he had.
Allegory
Stein employed an allegorical narrative to describe the capitalistic manner of dog owners and their profit-oriented behavior. Enzo explains a man he encountered as “alpha male” to showcase his materialistic behavior of wanting to earn high profits from the dog. Through his alpha man, the author showcases how materialism and capitalism have the power to dehumanize people due to greed. Enzo explains the extent of capitalism when the owner refuses to pay to a numbing agent, an aspect that causes him to ensure the pain of having his claws removed without the use of anesthesia.
Failure to employ this technique would have restricted the reader’s understanding of Enzo’s situation and an analysis of his life. The use of allegorical narrative is essential in that it enables the reader to understand the capitalistic nature of the society and the lives of dogs.
Works Cited
Stein, Garth. The art of racing in the rain. HarperCollins, 2019.