In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster discusses the significance of weather and season in a piece of literature. In Chapter 10, "It's More Than Just Rain or Snow," Foster discusses the importance of rain as a means of having cleansing and restorative or deceiving and destructive powers when mixed into a piece of literature. In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini describes an interaction between Amir and Hassan where Amir frames Hassan for stealing his watch and money. Amir can no longer bear the presence of Hassan because of his unforgivable sin. At this moment, Hosseini notes that the weather during the Afghanistan summers is always dry and hot; however, the day that Hassan takes the blame and leaves Amir's life forever, it rains. As Thomas Foster has taught his readers, rain can have symbolic attributes that are related to misery and also cleansing. The day that Hassan leaves is a sad day indeed and the weather augments the emotion.
Foster also mentions how snow is clean, stark, severe, warm, inhospitable, inviting, playful, suffocating, and even filthy. The previous list illustrates how ambiguous some types of weather can be and highlights the importance of weather in context. Weather has the capabilities to alter the entire mood of a piece with a single rain shower or fog set on a late night. Although the symbolic nature of the weather is easily captured here, Foster makes note that "There are many more possibilities for weather, of course, more than we could cover in a whole book" (81).
I find it quite interesting that snow can be utilized as practically antithetical moods or premonitions. Perhaps what truly empowers weather in literary context is not its actual presence, but instead how it is being described by the author. For example, if an author intends for snow to signify brutality rather than purity, he or she may describe the scene as a harsh, raging blizzard, rather than a lightly falling snow. The power of description is equally as important in any circumstance when studying literature, and it is imperative to analyze other aspects of the text accordingly.
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ReplyDeleteYes, “the rain” is mentioned again in “The Kite Runner,” when at the end of the book Sohrab, is “still not speaking,” but “he stands out in the rain.” When the weather dries up however, he eventually flies kites with Amir. The rain at this moment in the story could as Foster mentions, signify “a cleansing;” which then leads to a new start for Sohrab.
ReplyDeleteFoster also points out how there can be an irony associated with use of the weather. One example being Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms,” in which he uses rain, which could signify the growth associated with springtime, and it is even an allusion to “fertility.” However, in this case Hemmingway puts an ironic twist on it; when the discussion of rain occurs when someone is dying from a complicated childbirth.
Foster also describes the use of “fog,” being indicative of confusion, or lack of clarity “mental or ethical.” I thought of this would relate to a part in “Huckleberry Finn.” Huck and Jim, at one point are separated by “fog.” However, by the time the fog clears they are reunited. This seemed to represent the ideas of segregation which was apparent during this time in the South.
RJ I loved that you chose the book "The Kite Runner" as it was full of beautiful passages. The book captured many human emotions and experiences. While books tend to end in a “Happily Ever After” manner this one ended as real life stories tend to end. Something great may happen in our lives however, that does not always mean we can release our burdens. We are creatures that hold on to our sorrows, and heal slowly. The rain literally fell down on Sohrab and the weight of his clothes slowly increased as a result of the rain. However in a metaphorical sense the world had poured down on Sohrab and weighted him down with burdens. Just as it will take some sunshine to dry the clothes, it will take a good life to begin to heal Sohrab.
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ReplyDeleteI also believe that it is interesting how weather can completely alter the mood of a story - often times without the reader even noticing. Throughout my readings, I usually fail to pay attention to the weather of a story because I never thought of it as containing much importance. After reading chapter ten, it seems that paying attention to the weather is a beneficial action to be taken by a reader because it can cause a book to have a greater impact. For instance, you included an example from the "Kite Runner" in which an unusual weather pattern occurred in order to enhance the intensity of emotion in a scene. Intensifying the emotion causes the the reader to become more connected to the story, and being able to utilize the weather to achieve this is a positive action to be taken by an author. An individual can gain an immense amount of knowledge about a story by pondering why the author altered the weather in the way that he/she did. Overall, I believe weather is a key part to all stories and I intend to remember to take note of it from now on in my future readings.
I also find it interesting that weather in literature can mean so many different things. In writing, the weather often has such a clear and heavy message; yet, independently the weather is rather ambiguous. The use of weather and the context provided by the plot itself complement each other's meaning and enhance each other's role in literature. However, it also seems author's often use what we already think about a particular type of weather, without literary context, to either surprise, confuse, or prime us. The complexities of just one type of weather in literature are astounding. As with anything in literature, we are confined by the words on the paper- making context the ultimate factor in determining the significance, or non-significance, of any weather event.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your reference to "The Kite Runner", and the author's strategy of changing the weather to match the mood of the book. I think this also supports Foster's point of a novel being ultimately a lie. The climate is dry and hot, yet the author can change all of that in the course of a single sentence. Author's have the ability to bend reality in their favor to frame their words. Before reading "How to Read Novels Like a Professor", I would never have realized the importance of the rain during that scene.
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