The Art of Racing in the Rain Chapters 21-25 Quotes

The Art of Racing in the Rain Chapters 21-25 Quotes

How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote 7

I marveled at them both; how difficult it must be to be a person. To constantly subvert your desires. To worry about doing the right thing, rather than doing what you is most expedient. (23.68)

Enzo realizes that sometimes being a human means needing to put other people's needs before your own, and he wonders whether he can handle it. That is one big thing that makes humans human—and not all humans are able to do it.

Quote 8

[Denny] took such care with [Zoë's] peanut butter and banana sandwiches, slicing the banana so that each slice was exactly the same thickness. (24.6)

Again, here we see Denny catering to his daughter's needs and making sure that the food he makes her matches her preferences. His attention to small details like this shows how much he loves his daughter and how he'll always go the extra mile for her. It also explains his tenacity with the lawsuit: if Denny is focused and driven enough to painstakingly cut a banana, he's also focused and driven enough to slog through a three-year custody battle. A+ parenting, Denny.

Quote 9

The group meal was convivial, and though I was determined to remain aloof, one of the cousins was always willing to slip me a treat at mealtime. And no one ever kicked me out from under the very large dining table where I lingered during dinner, even though I was breaking my own personal code; a certain sense of lawlessness pervaded the house…Why shouldn't I have partaken in the debauchery? (25.3)

When Denny, Enzo, and Zoë visit Eve's extended family up in Methow Valley, it seems like everyone's personal codes are on hiatus, not just Enzo's. We're looking at you, Annika.