The Art of Racing in the Rain: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

Enzo describes Eve's condition as elusive and unpredictable: one day headaches, the next nausea, another dizziness and anger, with weeks or days of normalcy in between. The nature of her illness is beyond Denny. Enzo says the screaming fits and anguish are things only dogs and women understand, because they connect directly to the pain and can enjoy the beauty of it while taking the pain straight in the face. Enzo says men treat pain like athlete's foot, where the spray does nothing to treat the actual cause, which may be something seemingly unrelated to foot fungus. This causes the actual problem to express itself later in a deeper way.

Denny begs Eve to see a doctor and get medication, but she refuses. Denny doesn't understand, as Eve and Enzo do, that a doctor couldn't actually explain or treat the true cause of her illness.

Enzo understands Denny's frustration at his inability to do anything, likening it to being locked in a soundproof box where you can see and hear everything but can never speak. Enzo says it's driven many dogs mad, citing dogs found eating their owner's face after he or she fell asleep. Enzo says you see it on TV regularly, where the dog's mind just finally snapped. Enzo, however, says he's found ways around the madness, like watching television to learn about human behavior. Denny, however, avoids the madness by driving through it, making a commitment to do everything else since he can't help Eve feel better.

Enzo notes that sometimes, bad things happen to racecars in the middle of races, like losing gears or brakes overheating. He says bad drivers crash, average drivers give up, and great drivers drive through it, like one driver in 1989 who drove the final 20 laps of a race with only two gears.

Denny cuts back hours at work so he can take over the running of the household, with the intent of relieving Eve of any burden or stress. This does not, however, allow him to continue to engage Eve in physical affection. Enzo believes that Denny's prioritization was appropriate.

Enzo addresses the reader and says he sees green as gray and red as black, but does that make him a bad potential person? He continues, saying that if he had a computer system like Stephen Hawking's, he would write great books. But humans don't give him that, and he asks whose fault it is then that he is what he is.

Enzo says that Denny simply delegated his love-giving of Eve to Enzo. When Eve experienced episodes, Denny would take Zoë to movies or to the zoo and tell Enzo to take care of Eve. Enzo would curl up by the bed or next to Eve on the floor if she collapsed, and Eve would hold Enzo close and tell him about the pain. She'd say that she screams because if she's silent the pain will find her.

Enzo discusses demons, ghosts, phantoms, and spirits. He says people are afraid of them and therefore keep them in stories that can be put on shelves and left behind. Enzo implores the reader, then, to trust him that the zebra is real, and somewhere, it is dancing.

Through the winter, Eve loses weight and becomes drawn and pale. Despite Denny's concern, Eve continues to refuse to see a doctor. One evening after dinner, Enzo notes the odd occurrence that Denny and Eve both appeared naked in their bedroom. They hadn't “played” in a long time. Eve says, "the field is fertile," and Denny questions if she really is. Eve asks him to say it anyway, her eyes dimmed. Denny says he embraces the fertility, but Enzo thinks they seem unenthusiastic. He can tell Eve is pretending when she waves Enzo off. Enzo goes to another room, falls asleep, and dreams of crows.