In
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster discusses the importance of
weather and how it can affect the plot with the characters or the environment. He
uses the example of Noah and the Ark and how God showed mercy and love by
creating a rainbow and saying he would never flood the earth again. But sometimes
the weather isn’t obvious about how it affects the plot. In Twilight, Bella
Swan, moves from sunny Phoenix Arizona to dreary Forks Washington. She talks
about how she missed the warmth of Arizona and hate the cold of Forks. “Forks
was literally my personal hell on earth.” This led her into a depression that
she didn't think she could get out of.
the weather displays the emotions of the characters. In the Notebook, our two
main character are having a pleasant afternoon on a small wooden boat. All of
the sudden its start to rain, and they rush to shore to try to escape getting
wet. When they reach the shore they come to turns about how they really feel
towards each other and after a little bit of dialogue there is a passionate
kissing scene between the characters. The rain represented all of the sadness
they felt when they couldn’t see each other for seven years and how it is all
washing away. It is like Foster said, “Rain is never just rain.” It can
represent many ideas like rebirth, or coming clean and washing away hate. There
is always meaning behind the weather of a setting.
The weather truly shapes the characters and their emotions, Sam. I still find it interesting how the simplest and most natural occurrences of weather in literature can define and shape the characters along with the emotions which have been set in place along in the stories. In the examples which you happen to mention, the weather was not only able to change the attitudes of the characters, but also bring the atmospheric changes which was necessary for the plot to move onto bigger meanings and comprehensions. The weather is able to expose the emotions which the characters are temporarily afraid of expressing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your example from one of the best chick-flicks ever. The weather was just messy maybe symbolizing confusion in their hearts, and as soon as they made it to the shore and became more settled, they sorted out their emotions and hearts and realized that they were meant to be. Weather is a crazy thing and it always means something. As I continue to read novels, poems and short stories I will keep my eye open.
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