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 4

"I don't care what you look like," [Denny] said. "I see you. I see who you really are."

"I care what I look like," she said, trying to muster her old Eve smile. "When I look at you, I see my reflection in your eyes. I don't want to be ugly in front of you." (23.82-83)

This is another moment where it's Denny's turn to respect Eve's wishes, even though he doesn't understand them. So he goes home, leaving Enzo and Zoë with Eve, because he loves her.

"You!" [Annika] wailed, and started crying. "You flirted with me all week. You teased me. You kissed me."

"I kissed you on the cheek," Denny said. "It's normal for relatives to kiss on the cheek. It's called affection, not love." (25.73-74)

It's clear that Annika and Denny have very different interpretations of what's going on here, but that's understandable, given their age difference and their different perspectives on love. Denny, who has a wife and a daughter and has experienced adult love, knows that he doesn't love Annika and probably didn't intentionally egg her on. Annika, who's fifteen and presumably hasn't been in a serious relationship before, is experiencing what she believes to be love for the first time. Sparks certainly aren't flying here.

Quote 6

So much of language is unspoken. So much of language is comprised of looks and gestures and sounds that are not words. People are ignorant of the vast complexity of their own communication. (23.37)

Enzo makes another valid point here: being a human is one thing, but understanding how to converse as a human is another. There are so many variables: the words themselves, tones, gestures, facial expressions, all of which work together to convey a message. And don't even get us started on shared inside jokes, references, or sound effects, because we'd be here all night trying to explain it.