The Art of Racing in the Rain

by

Garth Stein

Denny Character Analysis

A professional racecar driver, husband to Eve and father to Zoë. He picked Enzo out of a litter of puppies a year before he met Eve. Denny works at a specialty European car shop that services cars in the Seattle area and races or teaches driving on the weekends. He is an extremely loyal and loving husband and father; he adores Eve and Zoë and strives to provide everything he can for them. As a driver, he's very calculating and methodical about how he behaves on the track, and he's an exceptional driver in the rain. These qualities also extend to the person Denny is off the track, as he is methodical and persistent throughout his legal battles with Trish, Maxwell, and Annika. He fights tooth and nail to win custody of Zoë.

Denny Quotes in The Art of Racing in the Rain

The The Art of Racing in the Rain quotes below are all either spoken by Denny or refer to Denny. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
What It Means to Be Human Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

What Eve said was not out of line, as most dogs cannot help themselves... but that sort of thing doesn't apply to me.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Eve, Zoë
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

That which you manifest is before you.

Related Characters: Denny (speaker)
Page Number: 41
Explanation and Analysis:

I had always wanted to love Eve as Denny loved her, but I never had because I was afraid. She was my rain. She was my unpredictable element. She was my fear. But a racer should not be afraid of rain; a racer should embrace the rain.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Eve
Related Symbols: Rain
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

I've always found great pleasure in the narrative tease. But then, I'm a dramatist. For me, a good story is all about setting up expectations and delivering on them in an exciting and surprising way.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:

"Sometimes I think you actually understand me," he said. "It's like there's a person inside there. Like you know everything."

I do, I said to myself. I do.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny (speaker)
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

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 is most expedient.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Zoë
Page Number: 122
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25 Quotes

"But I love you!" she howled, and then she was in an all-out crying fit, her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth contorted. "I love you!" she kept saying over and over. "I love you!"

Related Characters: Annika (speaker), Denny
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 30 Quotes

Racing is about discipline and intelligence, not about who has the heavier foot. The one who drives smart will always win in the end.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Related Symbols: Ayrton Senna
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

I didn't care for the sensation, yet I realized it was possibly a natural progression of my evolving soul, and therefore I tried my best to embrace it.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Page Number: 188
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 47 Quotes

He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave. And I knew, as Denny sped me toward the doctor who would fix me, that if I had already accomplished what I set out to accomplish here on earth, if I had already learned what I was meant to learn, I would have left the curb one second later than I had, and I would have been killed instantly by that car.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Related Symbols: Ayrton Senna
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 53 Quotes

Tears ran down Denny's mother's cheeks during the entire encounter, raindrops spotting Zoë's flower-print dress.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Zoë, Denny's Mother
Related Symbols: Rain
Page Number: 287
Explanation and Analysis:
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Denny Quotes in The Art of Racing in the Rain

The The Art of Racing in the Rain quotes below are all either spoken by Denny or refer to Denny. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
What It Means to Be Human Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7 Quotes

What Eve said was not out of line, as most dogs cannot help themselves... but that sort of thing doesn't apply to me.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Eve, Zoë
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

That which you manifest is before you.

Related Characters: Denny (speaker)
Page Number: 41
Explanation and Analysis:

I had always wanted to love Eve as Denny loved her, but I never had because I was afraid. She was my rain. She was my unpredictable element. She was my fear. But a racer should not be afraid of rain; a racer should embrace the rain.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Eve
Related Symbols: Rain
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

I've always found great pleasure in the narrative tease. But then, I'm a dramatist. For me, a good story is all about setting up expectations and delivering on them in an exciting and surprising way.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:

"Sometimes I think you actually understand me," he said. "It's like there's a person inside there. Like you know everything."

I do, I said to myself. I do.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny (speaker)
Page Number: 61
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

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 is most expedient.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Zoë
Page Number: 122
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 25 Quotes

"But I love you!" she howled, and then she was in an all-out crying fit, her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth contorted. "I love you!" she kept saying over and over. "I love you!"

Related Characters: Annika (speaker), Denny
Page Number: 145
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 30 Quotes

Racing is about discipline and intelligence, not about who has the heavier foot. The one who drives smart will always win in the end.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Related Symbols: Ayrton Senna
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

I didn't care for the sensation, yet I realized it was possibly a natural progression of my evolving soul, and therefore I tried my best to embrace it.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Page Number: 188
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 47 Quotes

He died that day because his body had served its purpose. His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave. And I knew, as Denny sped me toward the doctor who would fix me, that if I had already accomplished what I set out to accomplish here on earth, if I had already learned what I was meant to learn, I would have left the curb one second later than I had, and I would have been killed instantly by that car.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny
Related Symbols: Ayrton Senna
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 53 Quotes

Tears ran down Denny's mother's cheeks during the entire encounter, raindrops spotting Zoë's flower-print dress.

Related Characters: Enzo (speaker), Denny, Zoë, Denny's Mother
Related Symbols: Rain
Page Number: 287
Explanation and Analysis: