To inspire is to feel the urge or ability to do something. The novel “The Art of Racing in the Rain” is an inspirational novel which sends a positive message to all readers. That message is to never give up. As the main character Denny suffered in the novel he never stopped for a moment and gave up, he remained inspired and determined to get what he wanted. While reading this novel the reader may feel moved or inspired to continue on in life and never say “I can’t.” “The Art of Racing in the Rain” is a novel that tells readers to never have limits, to stay determined, and to remain positive.
In life no matter what age we set limits because we are not confident within ourselves. For example, a middle or high school student will often set limits of how much they know and how much they are able to do, this often has a bad affect and will show negative results in the students’ work. Yet we never come to realization that these limits are building a wall, and if we keep limiting ourselves we will never be able to break down that wall. Referring to the novel the main character Denny was limitless he never let anything get in the way of what he wanted. When the twins took away his one and only child he did all he could to get her back, and in the process he stayed strong. Because of Denny’s endurance and bravery he received exactly what he wanted. This example shows that if we keep pushing and stop telling ourselves what we cannot do we can achieve anything we want. There is no limit we cannot pass. Life itself is limitless. As Garth Stein rendered in the novel, “… a racer should not be afraid; a racer should embrace the rain. I, alone, could manifest a change in that which was around me. By changing my mood, my energy, I allowed Eve to regard me differently. And which I cannot say that I am a master of my own destiny, I can say that I have experienced a glimpse of mastery, and I know what I have to work toward.”
Determination is a key element in life which we should all abide by. As a human we sometimes switch our on button off because we feel overwhelmed and helpless. This feeling is often referred to as stress, which is a state of mental, emotional, and physical tension from adversity or a very demanding circumstance. As a high school student myself I often become stress at times but I always remind myself that even the greatest people like Sir Isaac Newton experienced stress within his career and life. As so did Eve as she was slowly falling apart she felt helpless because she could not die with her husband on her side, she also felt weak and depressed. This feeling Eve felt is sometimes what us as humans feel when a difficult obstacle comes our way. There are times even in my life when I have to face enormous amounts of stress, and even though it is sometimes over barring I get through it. Yet with self-determination and motivation no obstacle is too difficult, no mountain is too high, and no problems cannot be solved. Just like Denny we should remain positive at all times, positive thoughts make positive outcomes. Our creator placed us on this world for many reasons and sometimes we forget that this world is ours and we can make it anything we want with self-dedication and discernment. Once said by Vince Lombardi, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.”
The Art of Racing in The Rain puts every reader on roller coaster ride of emotions. This novel may bring tears, gasps, laughter, and excitement. Although one thing that it brings for sure is motivation, inspiration, and determination, what I like to call M.I.D. Whether we are an adult, or a child we face hard decisions and tribulations, but just like Denny we are human and it is part of life. It is up to us how we choose to solve our problems whether it be in a positive or negative way but always remember positive thoughts bring positive outcomes. We are the pioneers of our own lives, we are the racer in our own race car, we are the children of our creator, and we are humans that must remain strong. Referring to the novel, “The true hero is flawed, the true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles preferably of his own making, in order to triumph. A hero without a flaw is of no interest to an audience or to the universe, which, after all, is based on conflict and opposition, the irresistible force meeting the unmovable object.”