Discuss the significance of weather in text beyond its relationship to setting. Consider how weather is used to influence the other elements of fiction. What are some examples of the importance of weather in literature you have read?
Weather has been used in literature for many reasons other than the setting. It can serve as an indicator of what the mood of the characters is, or even take the role as one of the characters in a story. The weather becomes a necessity in influencing many elements of fiction.
Imagine a funeral scene with rainbows and sunshine in the background or a wedding scene with dreary cloudy skies and a downpour of rain. It simply doesn’t work. Readers associate weather with mood which is why authors use the weather to establish the desired mood inside the readers mind. Philip K. Dick ensures that it is raining or dark during nearly every portion of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is because the image of colorful fall leaves blowing in the wind on a sunny afternoon as the main character brutally chases down and murders someone he thinks is an android doesn’t quite have the same feel as a heavy thunderstorm does.
In The Grapes of Wrath the weather doesn’t only set the mood and describe the desert-like setting, it goes even further and acts as an antagonist throughout the story. The characters are constantly forced to overcome the drought’s ruthless heat and dryness as they travel to California in hopes to escape it. The weather functions as a constant obstacle for the characters to keep the reader entertained. Like there wouldn’t be a hero without a villain, there wouldn’t be The Grapes of Wrath without the Dust Bowl.
I think it’s very interesting, your view of weather being an antagonist. I’ve never looked at weather with that sort of a personification. I agree with your contention whole-heartedly. Another example of weather being an “antagonist,” or any sort of driving force in literature, could be the rain and flood from the story of Noah’s ark in The Bible. The looming rain presents urgency for Noah to hurry up and build the ark. Also, the clouds that come with rain make the flood and life on the ark more sad and depressing. This also aids the ending, the floodwaters receding and a bright, happy rainbow appearing, in more prominently sticking out to the reader by creating a contrast of sad to sunshine.
Jameson is completely correct on every assertion he makes. The weather is often used to intensify the mood of a scene, but I would also like to add how the author describes the weather is just as important as the conditions present. For example a thunderstorm can carry two separate connotations depending on the discretion of the narrator. If he chooses to say “the dark shades screamed with unholy roars shaking the foundation of earth beneath him” it carries a completely different mood and tone than say a description that says “The night sky danced with blue flame as the clouds played a symphony.” These two very different scenes are drawn by the same weather, but paint very different pictures. Another function of weather that I feel Jameson was hinting at, but never really said was its ability to foreshadow coming events. Often times a stormy cloud on the horizon can present an ominous feeling about events to come and on the opposite end of that example a break in the clouds could symbolize the end of an ordeal. It’s this versatility that allows weather to be such an effective tool in literature.
Sometimes weather can be used ironically. If there is a wedding, of course the reader would expect there to be sunshine. Weddings are typically happy occasions and sunshine evokes such feelings. What does it say about the marriage when the author purposefully adds the unpleasantness of a storm to the wedding? Perhaps the marriage is doomed to fail. Maybe the couple does not really love each other. Or maybe the wedding is supposed to symbolize a woman's enslavement to her husband in which case a storm would be very appropriate. Weather expresses the intended mood of a scene, whether it is happy or sad.
I particularly loved the example you used in the first sentence of the second paragraph. It completely explains your point, while proving your thesis statement. "Imagine a funeral scene with rainbows and sunshine in the background or a wedding scene with dreary cloudy skies and a downpour of rain." This sentence proves that weather is used in literature for many reasons other than particularly the setting. Readers do normally associate the weather with the mood. Leading to imagery. One just doesn't describe a funeral with the sun shining bright and rainbows, it would throw the reader off and give them the wrong idea.
I think it is very interesting that you see the weather as a character. I nall honesty I was skeptical fo that particular point and it was the part of your blog that lead me to continue reading. After analyzing you explanation I must applaud you. You have a wonderful view and understanding of weather’s significance. By personifying the weather you have added a whole new level of meaning to the Grapes of Wrath. With the weather playing the role of the antagonist we can study simply how the weather pushes the story further giving us the story of the Grapes of Wrath.
You say that the weather in The Grapes of Wrath is the antagonist, but it seems that the weather is doing what it does best: being. Yes, the weather is causing trouble for the farmers of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and many other states, but what really caused the weather? Is God the antagonist? Is Science the antagonist? No. People caused the Dust Bowl. Though it's sad to say, these people caused their own problems. They are their own antagonist. Had they used the land more responsibly and rotated their fields, the drought they complain about would have happened, but it wouldn't have affected the farmers the way it did. They could have survived. While it's fun to blame a scapegoat, let's point the fingers where they really belong. We can search the desert for the weather that's done this, or we can take a good, long look in the mirror. There is the culprit. Weather is certainly a plot device that pushes farmers westward in The Grapes of Wrath, but to say that weather is the antagonist is to miss one of the crucial messages of the text: We caused this Dust Bowl, and now we are reaping the Grapes that were sown. God did not plant this field; we stirred up our own future.
Ben, I maintain your point that farmers didn't help themelves with their methods of farming, however, I still believe that the weather is an antagonist. There are many variables that lead to a dust bowl: wind erosion, high temperatures, extended drought, economic depression, and poor agriculture practices. The farmers are only in control of one, possibly two of the causes (if you consider farmers in control of the economy). That's like saying that Qui Gon Jinn and the Obi Wan Kenobi caused the destruction of Alderaan and are the antagonists of the Star Wars series, because they taught Anakin Skywalker about the force. I will argue that Nature, including weather, is the antagonist, not only in The Grapes of Wrath, but in our existence. Humans are constantly trying to overcome what nature throws at it, whether it's disease, or a Dust Bowl.
Jameson, I agree, weather does much more than establish mood. It is an antagonist and often personified in Grapes. It's the first impression established in Chapter 1, and the uncontrollable factor in determining the migrants' fates. Andrew's point about weather's symbolic meanings is insightful, too. It's an important plot device and a particularly crucial one thoughout Grapes of Wrath.
Weather in the real world is rarely influenced by a person's emotions and seldom matches the mood of a particular event. However, in the world of literature, where the weather is controlled by the author, weather almost always matches the overall mood of a scene. This does not necessarily have to be; there could still be a horrifying murder on bright and clear day and two people could have a very happy wedding even if there is a storm. But as readers we have come to expect certain types of weather during certain occasions. If there is, perhaps, a violent murder, like in Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie, there had better be a storm at the same time. In that murder mystery, many people died in a violent series of murders. In Ten Little Indians, there was a large storm that intensified the sense of violence and horror. When there is a lot of violence in a piece of literature, we expect the weather, if it is mentioned, to be violent as well. If the author strays from those expectations, then the reader knows the author means for the scene to have irony. The weather contributes a great deal to our understanding of a scene because weather is something all readers can relate to. The reader may have never experienced the horror of a murder, but he has probably experienced a storm. By subtly comparing the mood of the scene to a storm, the reader gets a better sense of how it would have felt to have been there. Of course the weather does not have to be mentioned at all. The addition of weather to a scene clarifies the author’s intended mood for that scene. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there was a particularly uncomfortable scene in which there was a looming confrontation between two characters. The day was described as hot, and that irritated the characters. The uncomfortable heat of that day added to the uncomfort the characters felt during the interaction. The author could have easily made a storm happen that day, which would have conveyed a sense of fear and violence. But, by mentioning how brutally hot it was that day, the reader understands that the scene was uncomfortable and not violent. Weather in literature, over which the author has complete control, is used to set the intended mood for a scene.
Jack, I like your point of how weather can be used as a transitional element so as to get the reader better situated to experience emotions they cannot relate to. The words “subtly comparing” were key in keeping your point valid, for the horror of a storm is much less severe than that of a murder. Without saying it was subtle people might think you were saying murder felt like being in a storm. Of course you could always play this off as saying it demonstrated inner turmoil, but by inserting the aforementioned phrase there is less likely to be confusion.
I like the point you brought up in the first sentence of your response. Weather in real life is rarely indicative of a person's mood. It can be storming and a person can be just as content than if it was sunny. With this realization, I find it funny that weather plays such a vital role in literature. We are accustomed to weather as a symbol of the mood in a novel. Weather often serves as strong foreshadowing for events to happen. Bad weather is most commonly used to predict some type of conflict to happen. Being said, while weather is almost inconsequential in real life to mood, in literature it plays a vital role.
In the real world, weather is a force of nature. It’s beyond the control of mankind and has the capacity to alter every single aspect of our lives, even ending them if it so chooses. Passive weather, such as a lovely drizzle or a cloudless sky often pass by unnoticed due to their lack of remarkability. Yet weather, when actively attempting to influence the environment and everything in the area, can leave massive marks on the land and in history books. The Ice Age, for example, has done such a thing. It’s an era of Earth’s history which in famous primarily because of its weather. Of course, that is a rather extreme example, but even milder weather occurrences impact a plethora of lives and histories. Hurricanes deal major devastation when they enter populated areas. They’re often so famous that, if one were to mention Katrina passing through New Orleans, just about anyone would understand the reference. Just the fact that some types of weather have names adds power and importance to the phenomenon.
As influential and important weather is in real life, let it be so in books.
In my experience, weather is never really just a background detail and never serves a single purpose. It almost always provides a multi-pronged sword that an author can use to a variety of effects.
One of its effects, as mentioned previously in other blogs, is to set a mood. However, I’ve never really read a book where the weather personally presented the mood and enforced it upon the characters. Rather, I’ve always noticed that the moods associated with the weather are the results of how the characters themselves interact with the weather and how it shapes their emotions. A spoiled princess may fume and frown about having the rain drench all of her fine clothing, but a wandering bard may take the opportunity to compose a new song about the sudden shower. A raging blizzard may cause one person to despair about a long winter or his inability to get to where he wants to go anytime soon, but another character may instead appreciate how blessed she is in the fact that she can curl up on a couch in front of a toasty fire while the world outside is covered in white.
Weather by itself is a neutral force. It merely shapes the moods and attitudes of the characters in order to generate a pot-luck feeling that the reader gleans from the book.
That said, another use of the weather-sword is to shape plots and to make things happen. In the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, the evil White Witch had used her power to make winter last for over one hundred years. Because of this, when Edmund Pevensie entered Narnia, he was dreadfully cold, to the point of making his teeth chatter. This enabled the White Witch to tempt Edmund with hot food and drinks in order to twist his mind, causing his eventual betrayal of his brother and sisters. Just because he was cold. Just because of the weather. If Edmund hadn’t been quite so chilly when the witch stumbled upon him, he may have refused her offer of Turkish delights and may have never sucumbed to her promises and lies. However, the story would’ve been much different had that indeed happened.
Weather is weather is weather,whether it’s in real life or whether it’s in a book.
"Rain falls on the just and the unjust alike." It is impartial. Weather like communion or sex ,for that matter, is an experience shared, mesirable, yes. The setting that rain makes can be a great unifier for characters caught in it. For instances, "The Three Strangers" (1883) written by Edward B.-L. has a senario where the three strangers, well two are related, are forced to take shelter together because of a severe storm. Weather in this case act as "a plot device." Forcing each man to take shelter. It is an experience shared. Of course this is a fictional setting. So, would weather play a significant role out side of fiction? Everyone has been caught in the rain. Did it change us any? Froster writes about how characters can be "transformed" when weather is incorporated in the plot. Here is a real life example of weather transforming a man. Martin Luther, not Dr. King, while on the road traveling from one German town to another was caught in a severe storm: lightning, thunder, heavy rain, cold, the whole sha-bang. Anyway, cause he was caught in this storm he promised God that he would give up his practice as a lawyer and become a monk. The Prostestant, well, it should be the Catholic Reformation but the Pope would go along with it, came about. He went from being a lawyer to a monk. Sudden storms bring on the most severe changes in man.
Now, back to the book. Hagar, a character from the "Song of Solomon", after spending a lot of time and a lot of money to change her imagine so her cousin/lover will return to her is caught in the rain and she loses her "fantasy image".Froster considers weather to be the "big erasier" because look at Hagar she loses he false sense of image. So, she dies from a broken heart or pride. Whichever one works best. Then, there was the story of "The Three Strangers" who where forced into a atmosphere in order to escape the outside elements. The only problem is one is an escapee and the other a brother of the escapee, and the other the hangman. Not a comfortable situation to be in. Since, in this cop and robbers episode, the cop doesn't have a mug shot to use to identify the robber. So, that leaves the con rubbing elbows and breathing the same air as the executioner. The weather became the great equalizer. Oh, by the way the reason why the hangman is unable to identify the escapee is because it was 1883 when the story was written and a mugshot or rather a sketch of the escapee would of been a hard to come by commodity.
Ok. Weather can be a great equalizer cause it can erase characters from the slate or make them lacking in something. Also, weather is "restorative". Crops can not grow or die without rain, and the same for man sense the two are closely related. The story of Noah comes to Froster's mind when writing abuot the restorative power of rain. After, Noahs outing on his boat and the olive branch. The olive branch is simbolic to most as a peace offer so what? Well, after the olive branch is delivered a rainbow appeared. "The rainbow" was a promise to Noah "that no matter how angry" God became " he would never try to wipe us out." "Wipe out" sounds like a reference to the " big eraser.
Weather has a very important role to play in the world of literature. There are two distinct roles which we can easily see it used in, an active and a passive role. The passive role is the role we generally think of when weather comes to mind in stories, in which the weather is another part of the setting of the story, another description to complete the images a novel attempts to instill in our minds. But even this seemingly shallow and simple job weather has can be skillfully used for a deeper purpose. Different types of weather have different connotations that elicit thoughts or feelings from the reader. For instance, a storm represents turmoil and gives a dark tone to the scene, while happiness is embodied by the sunshine. With this in mind weather can be used to set and compliment the tone of a scene, rather than just describe the background. Weather can also play an active role in literature. It can directly influence a character by becoming an element of the plot. In A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh a storm causes a flood that traps Piglet in his house. In this scenario weather has taken an active role by directly influencing the actions of a character. It has become an activity in the plot and created an obstacle for the story to revolve about. A second instance in literature in which the weather takes an active presence is in Homer’s The Odyssey. In the epic Odysseus’s path is turned time and again by weather, but we can take another type of active participation of weather from this book. Wind, an element of weather, is embodied in the god Aeolus. With the personification of weather in a character we can easily see the direct influence it can have on the plot.
I just love how you went from Winnie the Pooh to The Odyssey. Not only does this show a rather versatile reading experience, but it also emphasizes how important weather can be in a book. From a relatively simple child’s book to an ancient, complex novel, weather is involved in almost all of our literature and is rarely unimportant. Not only that, but it also elaborates on your point that weather invokes feelings. Despite having never read The Odyssey, I can still remember feeling nervous that Piglet was never going to be able to escape from his house. It certainly inspired pretty strong emotions in me as a child.
Greek Gods, Winnie the Pooh, it works for me. Do you also see the role weather plays at the end of Grapes of Wrath or more toward the end. The Fall rains come and the flood waters slowly approach the box cars. This imagery brings on a sense of fear. The the weather is being orchestrated by the author to test the characters while in a already trying time, and when Ruthie gives birth to a stillborn the more ominous the scene becomes. Almost as if God were working against them. Foster described some weather as having a cleansing force of destroying force, and in the scene that follow regarding Uncle John and the stillborn baby and how he disposes of it illustrates both characteristics. Bravo, I like how you also personified weather "But even this seemingly shallow and simple fob weather has can be skillfully used for a deeper purpose". I believe this seen in Grapes of wrath can illustrate this "deeper purpose" far better than I can with a keyboard.
Weather is often used for telling about the mood of the characters. Sunshine and summertime usually symbolizes happiness while storms and cloudy weather mean sad times are headed this way. Without the use of weather in texts writers would need to be much more blunt and just tell the reader exactly what they are implying In The Catcher in the Rye, the bleak and snowy weather set the mood for the entire novel. The book is not about the good times of Holden Claufield, but of the hard times where he runs away from boarding school and is quite suicidal in my opinion. If the weather was hot and in the middle of summer instead of winter the reader may not feel as sympathetic with the boy. The weather in a story has a way of entirely changing any situation. On the other hand, weather, at times can be very tricky. Since writers know that ingrained into almost every readers mind is that sunshine equals happiness, they try to trick us and play off our knowledge. Some authors will talk about how awful a season spring is because of the rain and thunderstorms. Now majority of the time spring is thought of as a happy season because the flowers are beginning to bloom and winter melts away. But this author uses that knowledge against the reader to twist around their opinions and make the reader have a different opinion on the text. I think every season and weather pattern can have two different effects, a good and a bad. For example snow, it can be cold, destructive, and deadly, or it can be clean, pure, and rejuvenating. This is true for every season and weather. So, it is up to the reader and author to figure out with way to use
Sydney, I like how you bring up seasons in connection to weather. In this kind of mindset we can keep generalizing outward to ask what many different characteristics of nature make us feel. For instance how the contrast between day, night, twilight, and sunrise makes us all feel. We can also bring up dual connotations within nature. While some people consider winter to be the season of death and cold, others view it as a winter wonderland. Or are the northern lights supposed to be romantic or mysterious? It's up to the reader and author to interpret these elements of nature.
Weather does more than just create a setting in the reader’s mind. In fact, it serves a much more significant role. The vivid details describing the blazing sun, relaxing rain, frightening tornado, or freezing snow can change how particular scenes or even the entire story are viewed and comprehended.
Sometimes stories revolve around the weather like in Grapes of Wrath. The Dust Bowl is a key element in their journey to California and without that weather; it would be a completely different story. Weather often times sets the mood for readers because the characters and plot coincide with it. In Angela’s Ashes, the rainy, depressing weather contributes to the sad, depressing mood of the characters due to poverty.
Weather in text not only creates a story, but also influences other elements of fiction. All weather can be good and bad and there is an upside and downside to each. For example, sunshine is good until it’s too hot to bear and results in sunburns. Also, rain can be relaxing until it becomes a scary thunderstorm and the power goes out. With this said, author’s choose what the weather is like to reinforce their message they’re trying to send. However, they can also choose to be ironic with their choice of weather in relation to what is going on in the book to make the reader question and think. Whichever it is, weather is a significant element to every piece of writing and does much more than create an image for the reader. It can change a character’s mood, change the story, and change the reader’s point of view.
Weather is an integral component within every piece of literature. On the surface, it appears to do so little as provide a physical environment for the characters to be encased in; however, it plays an inimitable role in the development of conflict and inadvertently affects the reader’s mood. Conflicts seemingly emerge out of nothingness in myriads of novels. Upon further examination, there are always causes to be discovered; amongst the most commonly observed causes lies weather. In nearly all works of high literary merit, foreboding weather is meticulously described prior to serious conflict. By doing so, the author uses weather as a tool to transition from normalcy to havoc. In addition to serving as a seamless transition, which is inexpressibly crucial to literature, weather serves the purpose of affecting the minds of the very characters contained within the novels. For example, a previously apathetic man may become enraged by the inopportune weather during a drought and lead to a series of conflicts involving an entire town of farmers versus the unrestricted power of the “gods.”
A reader’s interpretation of literature is undoubtedly affected by weather, just as violently as the morale of a previously apathetic man in some cases. Weather appeals to human beings’ most primal emotions, as few other elements do, and brings about concrete changes in mood. A flawless example of this phenomenon occurs in the closing scene of Ernest Hemingway’s "A Farewell to Arms". As Henry walks out of the hospital, after discovering the death of Catherine during childbirth, the reader possesses innate feelings of hope for a new beginning which may be bestowed upon the desolate man; however, this hope is instantaneously crushed when it is established that rain is thundering down. The mood of the novel changes from hopeful to grievous with violent speed via the implementation of description concerning the weather. This intrinsic quality of weather is matchless.
I believe you are spot on with your explanation of the significance and role of weather in literature. Weather, like any unalterable force, influences the setting, characters, and the reader. As such a powerful and versatile element in literature it is no wonder that descriptions of, and the use of weather, are used in every type of literature from children's novels to any book of high literary merit. Also I liked your allusion to "A Farewell to Arms". I agree that if Hemingway would have inputted weather suggesting hope, such as a picture of early morning and the rising sun, the desolate man may have been able to see the light in his dark time.
When reading a book we don’t always think of the significance of weather, probably because in reality the weather isn’t influenced by a human, it is natural and has no deeper meaning. Not to say that it is not a force to be reckoned with. In the real word weather has the power to turn everything upside down, literally. The affects of the weather in the real world are primarily physical; the only emotions involved do not affect the weather but rather the weather may affect the emotions of some people. In literature though, the weather is still an extremely powerful force. It may be subject to the feelings of he/she who holds the pen but they are capable of using it to their More than likely the author is using the weather as a tool to set the desired mood of a scene. How many times have you heard “on a dark and stormy night” at the beginning of a scary story? I can think of at least two right off the top of my head. This is not to say that it occurs on every account. A narrative entailing murder may begin with “all was well, the sun shining, birds chirping.” Regardless of how the weather is used whether to set a mood or ironically, it is still used as a literary device. If it were not significant more than likely it wouldn’t be mentioned in a literary work. For example, the first chapter of the Grapes of Wrath describes the conditions the farmers are forced to endure. It sets the basis of hardship the characters must undergo throughout the novel. In conclusion weather isn’t a force to be reckoned with in reality but also in the world of literature.
The idea that weather could set an ironic tone is a very interesting idea. Most readers fall into a pattern of getting that "warm, fuzzy feeling" when we read about a perfectly sunny day as the characters take a lovely walk in the park. The author could use that presumption to provoke even stronger feelings. Imagine how dramatic it would be if the world ended horribly during our breezy summer stroll. It would cause such a huge change in tone that the emotions would be emphasized. The irony of unpredicted weather might be my new favorite way to accent a turning point in a plot.
In our world, weather cannot be controlled; weather has the power to ruin things or sometimes better things. However, when it comes to literature authors can control the weather and how his or her readers interpret it. I believe weather is used for many other reasons other than its relationship with setting. Weather can also designate the mood of certain characters in each novel. Different types of weather can indicate different moods, for example, the sun may indicate someone is happy or excited about something, whereas, a storm may indicate someone is sad or mad about something. Weather shapes the mood and attitudes of characters in order to portray their feelings to the readers.
In the Grapes of Wrath for example, the dry desert setting does not only portray the mood but also, acts as a barrier throughout the family’s journey to California. The family and the families they meet along the way are forced to overcome the dryness and the heat as they travel hoping for a better life in California. Therefore, without the Dust Bowl in the Grapes of Wrath this novel would be a completely different story.
Authors also use weather to not only reveal the mood of their novel but to also emphasize things they want emphasized whether it is good or bad. For example, in the Grapes of Wrath the author uses the Dust Bowl as a negative affect causing families to be thirsty and hungry. Whether weather plays a negative or positive role in a novel it plays a much greater role than just describing the relationship with the setting.
Weather is a somewhat cliche trick authors use to set tones, moods, and even trigger events. Just as it does in real life, weather can affect an entire storyline: a cheery picnic in the park can transform into a deadly thunderstorm instantaneously. However, authors, unlike everyday people, can take this seemingly dull small talk conversation topic and manipulate it however they like.
The usage of weather in literature is increasingly universal; everyone has heard a ghost story that begins with, "it was a dark and stormy night." Folk tales and myths use weather to affect the story, which are then passed down generation to generation, proving the weather is a key element; if it was insignificant, it would have been forgotten long ago. Even today, Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is iconic in today's pop culture.
Even in cinema, the weather is used to provoke certain feelings from the audience. Rain communicates a melancholy, sad feeling; sun is generally associated with positive emotions; violent storms indicate intense scenes. Movies have adapted these patterns from novels. In Grapes of Wrath, the novel opens by describing the dreary condition of Oklahoma, mentioning the struggle of the flora and fauna, which ultimately effects the human race. Steinbeck heavily relies on weather in his novel to trigger certain events and bring forth a certain sad tone in the novel.
Considering weather patterns have been so significant in several forms of art throughout history, it is not surprising that today's media uses this to its advantage. Weather manipulation in writing is simply a written translation of how the weather effects us. It is one of the most realistic tools authors can use to change feelings within seconds.
Weather has been used in literature for many reasons other than the setting. It can serve as an indicator of what the mood of the characters is, or even take the role as one of the characters in a story. The weather becomes a necessity in influencing many elements of fiction.
ReplyDeleteImagine a funeral scene with rainbows and sunshine in the background or a wedding scene with dreary cloudy skies and a downpour of rain. It simply doesn’t work. Readers associate weather with mood which is why authors use the weather to establish the desired mood inside the readers mind. Philip K. Dick ensures that it is raining or dark during nearly every portion of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is because the image of colorful fall leaves blowing in the wind on a sunny afternoon as the main character brutally chases down and murders someone he thinks is an android doesn’t quite have the same feel as a heavy thunderstorm does.
In The Grapes of Wrath the weather doesn’t only set the mood and describe the desert-like setting, it goes even further and acts as an antagonist throughout the story. The characters are constantly forced to overcome the drought’s ruthless heat and dryness as they travel to California in hopes to escape it. The weather functions as a constant obstacle for the characters to keep the reader entertained. Like there wouldn’t be a hero without a villain, there wouldn’t be The Grapes of Wrath without the Dust Bowl.
Jameson
DeleteI think it’s very interesting, your view of weather being an antagonist. I’ve never looked at weather with that sort of a personification. I agree with your contention whole-heartedly. Another example of weather being an “antagonist,” or any sort of driving force in literature, could be the rain and flood from the story of Noah’s ark in The Bible. The looming rain presents urgency for Noah to hurry up and build the ark. Also, the clouds that come with rain make the flood and life on the ark more sad and depressing. This also aids the ending, the floodwaters receding and a bright, happy rainbow appearing, in more prominently sticking out to the reader by creating a contrast of sad to sunshine.
Dylan
Jameson is completely correct on every assertion he makes. The weather is often used to intensify the mood of a scene, but I would also like to add how the author describes the weather is just as important as the conditions present. For example a thunderstorm can carry two separate connotations depending on the discretion of the narrator. If he chooses to say “the dark shades screamed with unholy roars shaking the foundation of earth beneath him” it carries a completely different mood and tone than say a description that says “The night sky danced with blue flame as the clouds played a symphony.” These two very different scenes are drawn by the same weather, but paint very different pictures. Another function of weather that I feel Jameson was hinting at, but never really said was its ability to foreshadow coming events. Often times a stormy cloud on the horizon can present an ominous feeling about events to come and on the opposite end of that example a break in the clouds could symbolize the end of an ordeal. It’s this versatility that allows weather to be such an effective tool in literature.
DeleteSometimes weather can be used ironically. If there is a wedding, of course the reader would expect there to be sunshine. Weddings are typically happy occasions and sunshine evokes such feelings. What does it say about the marriage when the author purposefully adds the unpleasantness of a storm to the wedding? Perhaps the marriage is doomed to fail. Maybe the couple does not really love each other. Or maybe the wedding is supposed to symbolize a woman's enslavement to her husband in which case a storm would be very appropriate. Weather expresses the intended mood of a scene, whether it is happy or sad.
DeleteJameson,
DeleteI particularly loved the example you used in the first sentence of the second paragraph. It completely explains your point, while proving your thesis statement. "Imagine a funeral scene with rainbows and sunshine in the background or a wedding scene with dreary cloudy skies and a downpour of rain." This sentence proves that weather is used in literature for many reasons other than particularly the setting. Readers do normally associate the weather with the mood. Leading to imagery. One just doesn't describe a funeral with the sun shining bright and rainbows, it would throw the reader off and give them the wrong idea.
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DeleteI think it is very interesting that you see the weather as a character. I nall honesty I was skeptical fo that particular point and it was the part of your blog that lead me to continue reading. After analyzing you explanation I must applaud you. You have a wonderful view and understanding of weather’s significance. By personifying the weather you have added a whole new level of meaning to the Grapes of Wrath. With the weather playing the role of the antagonist we can study simply how the weather pushes the story further giving us the story of the Grapes of Wrath.
DeleteYou say that the weather in The Grapes of Wrath is the antagonist, but it seems that the weather is doing what it does best: being. Yes, the weather is causing trouble for the farmers of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and many other states, but what really caused the weather? Is God the antagonist? Is Science the antagonist? No. People caused the Dust Bowl. Though it's sad to say, these people caused their own problems. They are their own antagonist. Had they used the land more responsibly and rotated their fields, the drought they complain about would have happened, but it wouldn't have affected the farmers the way it did. They could have survived. While it's fun to blame a scapegoat, let's point the fingers where they really belong. We can search the desert for the weather that's done this, or we can take a good, long look in the mirror. There is the culprit. Weather is certainly a plot device that pushes farmers westward in The Grapes of Wrath, but to say that weather is the antagonist is to miss one of the crucial messages of the text: We caused this Dust Bowl, and now we are reaping the Grapes that were sown. God did not plant this field; we stirred up our own future.
DeleteBen,
DeleteI maintain your point that farmers didn't help themelves with their methods of farming, however, I still believe that the weather is an antagonist. There are many variables that lead to a dust bowl: wind erosion, high temperatures, extended drought, economic depression, and poor agriculture practices. The farmers are only in control of one, possibly two of the causes (if you consider farmers in control of the economy). That's like saying that Qui Gon Jinn and the Obi Wan Kenobi caused the destruction of Alderaan and are the antagonists of the Star Wars series, because they taught Anakin Skywalker about the force. I will argue that Nature, including weather, is the antagonist, not only in The Grapes of Wrath, but in our existence. Humans are constantly trying to overcome what nature throws at it, whether it's disease, or a Dust Bowl.
Jameson,
ReplyDeleteI agree, weather does much more than establish mood. It is an antagonist and often personified in Grapes. It's the first impression established in Chapter 1, and the uncontrollable factor in determining the migrants' fates. Andrew's point about weather's symbolic meanings is insightful, too. It's an important plot device and a particularly crucial one thoughout Grapes of Wrath.
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DeleteWeather in the real world is rarely influenced by a person's emotions and seldom matches the mood of a particular event. However, in the world of literature, where the weather is controlled by the author, weather almost always matches the overall mood of a scene. This does not necessarily have to be; there could still be a horrifying murder on bright and clear day and two people could have a very happy wedding even if there is a storm. But as readers we have come to expect certain types of weather during certain occasions. If there is, perhaps, a violent murder, like in Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie, there had better be a storm at the same time. In that murder mystery, many people died in a violent series of murders. In Ten Little Indians, there was a large storm that intensified the sense of violence and horror. When there is a lot of violence in a piece of literature, we expect the weather, if it is mentioned, to be violent as well. If the author strays from those expectations, then the reader knows the author means for the scene to have irony. The weather contributes a great deal to our understanding of a scene because weather is something all readers can relate to. The reader may have never experienced the horror of a murder, but he has probably experienced a storm. By subtly comparing the mood of the scene to a storm, the reader gets a better sense of how it would have felt to have been there. Of course the weather does not have to be mentioned at all. The addition of weather to a scene clarifies the author’s intended mood for that scene. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there was a particularly uncomfortable scene in which there was a looming confrontation between two characters. The day was described as hot, and that irritated the characters. The uncomfortable heat of that day added to the uncomfort the characters felt during the interaction. The author could have easily made a storm happen that day, which would have conveyed a sense of fear and violence. But, by mentioning how brutally hot it was that day, the reader understands that the scene was uncomfortable and not violent. Weather in literature, over which the author has complete control, is used to set the intended mood for a scene.
ReplyDeleteJack,
DeleteI like your point of how weather can be used as a transitional element so as to get the reader better situated to experience emotions they cannot relate to. The words “subtly comparing” were key in keeping your point valid, for the horror of a storm is much less severe than that of a murder. Without saying it was subtle people might think you were saying murder felt like being in a storm. Of course you could always play this off as saying it demonstrated inner turmoil, but by inserting the aforementioned phrase there is less likely to be confusion.
Jack,
DeleteI like the point you brought up in the first sentence of your response. Weather in real life is rarely indicative of a person's mood. It can be storming and a person can be just as content than if it was sunny. With this realization, I find it funny that weather plays such a vital role in literature. We are accustomed to weather as a symbol of the mood in a novel. Weather often serves as strong foreshadowing for events to happen. Bad weather is most commonly used to predict some type of conflict to happen. Being said, while weather is almost inconsequential in real life to mood, in literature it plays a vital role.
In the real world, weather is a force of nature. It’s beyond the control of mankind and has the capacity to alter every single aspect of our lives, even ending them if it so chooses. Passive weather, such as a lovely drizzle or a cloudless sky often pass by unnoticed due to their lack of remarkability. Yet weather, when actively attempting to influence the environment and everything in the area, can leave massive marks on the land and in history books. The Ice Age, for example, has done such a thing. It’s an era of Earth’s history which in famous primarily because of its weather. Of course, that is a rather extreme example, but even milder weather occurrences impact a plethora of lives and histories. Hurricanes deal major devastation when they enter populated areas. They’re often so famous that, if one were to mention Katrina passing through New Orleans, just about anyone would understand the reference. Just the fact that some types of weather have names adds power and importance to the phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteAs influential and important weather is in real life, let it be so in books.
In my experience, weather is never really just a background detail and never serves a single purpose. It almost always provides a multi-pronged sword that an author can use to a variety of effects.
One of its effects, as mentioned previously in other blogs, is to set a mood. However, I’ve never really read a book where the weather personally presented the mood and enforced it upon the characters. Rather, I’ve always noticed that the moods associated with the weather are the results of how the characters themselves interact with the weather and how it shapes their emotions. A spoiled princess may fume and frown about having the rain drench all of her fine clothing, but a wandering bard may take the opportunity to compose a new song about the sudden shower. A raging blizzard may cause one person to despair about a long winter or his inability to get to where he wants to go anytime soon, but another character may instead appreciate how blessed she is in the fact that she can curl up on a couch in front of a toasty fire while the world outside is covered in white.
Weather by itself is a neutral force. It merely shapes the moods and attitudes of the characters in order to generate a pot-luck feeling that the reader gleans from the book.
That said, another use of the weather-sword is to shape plots and to make things happen. In the Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, the evil White Witch had used her power to make winter last for over one hundred years. Because of this, when Edmund Pevensie entered Narnia, he was dreadfully cold, to the point of making his teeth chatter. This enabled the White Witch to tempt Edmund with hot food and drinks in order to twist his mind, causing his eventual betrayal of his brother and sisters. Just because he was cold. Just because of the weather. If Edmund hadn’t been quite so chilly when the witch stumbled upon him, he may have refused her offer of Turkish delights and may have never sucumbed to her promises and lies. However, the story would’ve been much different had that indeed happened.
Weather is weather is weather,whether it’s in real life or whether it’s in a book.
"Rain falls on the just and the unjust alike." It is impartial. Weather like communion or sex ,for that matter, is an experience shared, mesirable, yes. The setting that rain makes can be a great unifier for characters caught in it. For instances, "The Three Strangers" (1883) written by Edward B.-L. has a senario where the three strangers, well two are related, are forced to take shelter together because of a severe storm. Weather in this case act as "a plot device." Forcing each man to take shelter. It is an experience shared. Of course this is a fictional setting. So, would weather play a significant role out side of fiction? Everyone has been caught in the rain. Did it change us any? Froster writes about how characters can be "transformed" when weather is incorporated in the plot. Here is a real life example of weather transforming a man. Martin Luther, not Dr. King, while on the road traveling from one German town to another was caught in a severe storm: lightning, thunder, heavy rain, cold, the whole sha-bang. Anyway, cause he was caught in this storm he promised God that he would give up his practice as a lawyer and become a monk. The Prostestant, well, it should be the Catholic Reformation but the Pope would go along with it, came about. He went from being a lawyer to a monk. Sudden storms bring on the most severe changes in man.
ReplyDeleteNow, back to the book. Hagar, a character from the "Song of Solomon", after spending a lot of time and a lot of money to change her imagine so her cousin/lover will return to her is caught in the rain and she loses her "fantasy image".Froster considers weather to be the "big erasier" because look at Hagar she loses he false sense of image. So, she dies from a broken heart or pride. Whichever one works best. Then, there was the story of "The Three Strangers" who where forced into a atmosphere in order to escape the outside elements. The only problem is one is an escapee and the other a brother of the escapee, and the other the hangman. Not a comfortable situation to be in. Since, in this cop and robbers episode, the cop doesn't have a mug shot to use to identify the robber. So, that leaves the con rubbing elbows and breathing the same air as the executioner. The weather became the great equalizer. Oh, by the way the reason why the hangman is unable to identify the escapee is because it was 1883 when the story was written and a mugshot or rather a sketch of the escapee would of been a hard to come by commodity.
Ok. Weather can be a great equalizer cause it can erase characters from the slate or make them lacking in something. Also, weather is "restorative". Crops can not grow or die without rain, and the same for man sense the two are closely related. The story of Noah comes to Froster's mind when writing abuot the restorative power of rain. After, Noahs outing on his boat and the olive branch. The olive branch is simbolic to most as a peace offer so what? Well, after the olive branch is delivered a rainbow appeared. "The rainbow" was a promise to Noah "that no matter how angry" God became " he would never try to wipe us out." "Wipe out" sounds like a reference to the "
big eraser.
Weather has a very important role to play in the world of literature. There are two distinct roles which we can easily see it used in, an active and a passive role. The passive role is the role we generally think of when weather comes to mind in stories, in which the weather is another part of the setting of the story, another description to complete the images a novel attempts to instill in our minds. But even this seemingly shallow and simple job weather has can be skillfully used for a deeper purpose. Different types of weather have different connotations that elicit thoughts or feelings from the reader. For instance, a storm represents turmoil and gives a dark tone to the scene, while happiness is embodied by the sunshine. With this in mind weather can be used to set and compliment the tone of a scene, rather than just describe the background. Weather can also play an active role in literature. It can directly influence a character by becoming an element of the plot. In A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh a storm causes a flood that traps Piglet in his house. In this scenario weather has taken an active role by directly influencing the actions of a character. It has become an activity in the plot and created an obstacle for the story to revolve about. A second instance in literature in which the weather takes an active presence is in Homer’s The Odyssey. In the epic Odysseus’s path is turned time and again by weather, but we can take another type of active participation of weather from this book. Wind, an element of weather, is embodied in the god Aeolus. With the personification of weather in a character we can easily see the direct influence it can have on the plot.
ReplyDeleteI just love how you went from Winnie the Pooh to The Odyssey. Not only does this show a rather versatile reading experience, but it also emphasizes how important weather can be in a book. From a relatively simple child’s book to an ancient, complex novel, weather is involved in almost all of our literature and is rarely unimportant. Not only that, but it also elaborates on your point that weather invokes feelings. Despite having never read The Odyssey, I can still remember feeling nervous that Piglet was never going to be able to escape from his house. It certainly inspired pretty strong emotions in me as a child.
DeleteNicely done!
Greek Gods, Winnie the Pooh, it works for me. Do you also see the role weather plays at the end of Grapes of Wrath or more toward the end. The Fall rains come and the flood waters slowly approach the box cars. This imagery brings on a sense of fear. The the weather is being orchestrated by the author to test the characters while in a already trying time, and when Ruthie gives birth to a stillborn the more ominous the scene becomes. Almost as if God were working against them. Foster described some weather as having a cleansing force of destroying force, and in the scene that follow regarding Uncle John and the stillborn baby and how he disposes of it illustrates both characteristics. Bravo, I like how you also personified weather "But even this seemingly shallow and simple fob weather has can be skillfully used for a deeper purpose". I believe this seen in Grapes of wrath can illustrate this "deeper purpose" far better than I can with a keyboard.
DeleteWeather is often used for telling about the mood of the characters. Sunshine and summertime usually symbolizes happiness while storms and cloudy weather mean sad times are headed this way. Without the use of weather in texts writers would need to be much more blunt and just tell the reader exactly what they are implying
ReplyDeleteIn The Catcher in the Rye, the bleak and snowy weather set the mood for the entire novel. The book is not about the good times of Holden Claufield, but of the hard times where he runs away from boarding school and is quite suicidal in my opinion. If the weather was hot and in the middle of summer instead of winter the reader may not feel as sympathetic with the boy. The weather in a story has a way of entirely changing any situation.
On the other hand, weather, at times can be very tricky. Since writers know that ingrained into almost every readers mind is that sunshine equals happiness, they try to trick us and play off our knowledge. Some authors will talk about how awful a season spring is because of the rain and thunderstorms. Now majority of the time spring is thought of as a happy season because the flowers are beginning to bloom and winter melts away. But this author uses that knowledge against the reader to twist around their opinions and make the reader have a different opinion on the text.
I think every season and weather pattern can have two different effects, a good and a bad. For example snow, it can be cold, destructive, and deadly, or it can be clean, pure, and rejuvenating. This is true for every season and weather. So, it is up to the reader and author to figure out with way to use
Sydney,
DeleteI like how you bring up seasons in connection to weather. In this kind of mindset we can keep generalizing outward to ask what many different characteristics of nature make us feel. For instance how the contrast between day, night, twilight, and sunrise makes us all feel. We can also bring up dual connotations within nature. While some people consider winter to be the season of death and cold, others view it as a winter wonderland. Or are the northern lights supposed to be romantic or mysterious? It's up to the reader and author to interpret these elements of nature.
Weather does more than just create a setting in the reader’s mind. In fact, it serves a much more significant role. The vivid details describing the blazing sun, relaxing rain, frightening tornado, or freezing snow can change how particular scenes or even the entire story are viewed and comprehended.
ReplyDeleteSometimes stories revolve around the weather like in Grapes of Wrath. The Dust Bowl is a key element in their journey to California and without that weather; it would be a completely different story. Weather often times sets the mood for readers because the characters and plot coincide with it. In Angela’s Ashes, the rainy, depressing weather contributes to the sad, depressing mood of the characters due to poverty.
Weather in text not only creates a story, but also influences other elements of fiction. All weather can be good and bad and there is an upside and downside to each. For example, sunshine is good until it’s too hot to bear and results in sunburns. Also, rain can be relaxing until it becomes a scary thunderstorm and the power goes out. With this said, author’s choose what the weather is like to reinforce their message they’re trying to send. However, they can also choose to be ironic with their choice of weather in relation to what is going on in the book to make the reader question and think. Whichever it is, weather is a significant element to every piece of writing and does much more than create an image for the reader. It can change a character’s mood, change the story, and change the reader’s point of view.
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ReplyDeleteWeather is an integral component within every piece of literature. On the surface, it appears to do so little as provide a physical environment for the characters to be encased in; however, it plays an inimitable role in the development of conflict and inadvertently affects the reader’s mood. Conflicts seemingly emerge out of nothingness in myriads of novels. Upon further examination, there are always causes to be discovered; amongst the most commonly observed causes lies weather. In nearly all works of high literary merit, foreboding weather is meticulously described prior to serious conflict. By doing so, the author uses weather as a tool to transition from normalcy to havoc. In addition to serving as a seamless transition, which is inexpressibly crucial to literature, weather serves the purpose of affecting the minds of the very characters contained within the novels. For example, a previously apathetic man may become enraged by the inopportune weather during a drought and lead to a series of conflicts involving an entire town of farmers versus the unrestricted power of the “gods.”
ReplyDeleteA reader’s interpretation of literature is undoubtedly affected by weather, just as violently as the morale of a previously apathetic man in some cases. Weather appeals to human beings’ most primal emotions, as few other elements do, and brings about concrete changes in mood. A flawless example of this phenomenon occurs in the closing scene of Ernest Hemingway’s "A Farewell to Arms". As Henry walks out of the hospital, after discovering the death of Catherine during childbirth, the reader possesses innate feelings of hope for a new beginning which may be bestowed upon the desolate man; however, this hope is instantaneously crushed when it is established that rain is thundering down. The mood of the novel changes from hopeful to grievous with violent speed via the implementation of description concerning the weather. This intrinsic quality of weather is matchless.
Elizabeth,
DeleteI believe you are spot on with your explanation of the significance and role of weather in literature. Weather, like any unalterable force, influences the setting, characters, and the reader. As such a powerful and versatile element in literature it is no wonder that descriptions of, and the use of weather, are used in every type of literature from children's novels to any book of high literary merit. Also I liked your allusion to "A Farewell to Arms". I agree that if Hemingway would have inputted weather suggesting hope, such as a picture of early morning and the rising sun, the desolate man may have been able to see the light in his dark time.
When reading a book we don’t always think of the significance of weather, probably because in reality the weather isn’t influenced by a human, it is natural and has no deeper meaning. Not to say that it is not a force to be reckoned with. In the real word weather has the power to turn everything upside down, literally. The affects of the weather in the real world are primarily physical; the only emotions involved do not affect the weather but rather the weather may affect the emotions of some people. In literature though, the weather is still an extremely powerful force. It may be subject to the feelings of he/she who holds the pen but they are capable of using it to their More than likely the author is using the weather as a tool to set the desired mood of a scene. How many times have you heard “on a dark and stormy night” at the beginning of a scary story? I can think of at least two right off the top of my head. This is not to say that it occurs on every account. A narrative entailing murder may begin with “all was well, the sun shining, birds chirping.” Regardless of how the weather is used whether to set a mood or ironically, it is still used as a literary device. If it were not significant more than likely it wouldn’t be mentioned in a literary work. For example, the first chapter of the Grapes of Wrath describes the conditions the farmers are forced to endure. It sets the basis of hardship the characters must undergo throughout the novel. In conclusion weather isn’t a force to be reckoned with in reality but also in the world of literature.
ReplyDeleteMaddie,
DeleteThe idea that weather could set an ironic tone is a very interesting idea. Most readers fall into a pattern of getting that "warm, fuzzy feeling" when we read about a perfectly sunny day as the characters take a lovely walk in the park. The author could use that presumption to provoke even stronger feelings. Imagine how dramatic it would be if the world ended horribly during our breezy summer stroll. It would cause such a huge change in tone that the emotions would be emphasized. The irony of unpredicted weather might be my new favorite way to accent a turning point in a plot.
Both of your views on the use of weather as a sense of irony in literature is very amusing. A common theme where this idea is used is when a character is having a particularly awful day and then they speak the classic line "Could this get any worse?" followed by a sudden downpour of rain. This is one of the most cliché examples I could think of, and that's exactly why I chose it. It shows that the idea is not one that is new, but one that is harder to pick up on. That is why I appreciate irony so very much. It's hard to pick up on, but those who understand the irony can't help but to see the humor in it.
DeleteIn our world, weather cannot be controlled; weather has the power to ruin things or sometimes better things. However, when it comes to literature authors can control the weather and how his or her readers interpret it. I believe weather is used for many other reasons other than its relationship with setting. Weather can also designate the mood of certain characters in each novel. Different types of weather can indicate different moods, for example, the sun may indicate someone is happy or excited about something, whereas, a storm may indicate someone is sad or mad about something. Weather shapes the mood and attitudes of characters in order to portray their feelings to the readers.
ReplyDeleteIn the Grapes of Wrath for example, the dry desert setting does not only portray the mood but also, acts as a barrier throughout the family’s journey to California. The family and the families they meet along the way are forced to overcome the dryness and the heat as they travel hoping for a better life in California. Therefore, without the Dust Bowl in the Grapes of Wrath this novel would be a completely different story.
Authors also use weather to not only reveal the mood of their novel but to also emphasize things they want emphasized whether it is good or bad. For example, in the Grapes of Wrath the author uses the Dust Bowl as a negative affect causing families to be thirsty and hungry. Whether weather plays a negative or positive role in a novel it plays a much greater role than just describing the relationship with the setting.
Weather is a somewhat cliche trick authors use to set tones, moods, and even trigger events. Just as it does in real life, weather can affect an entire storyline: a cheery picnic in the park can transform into a deadly thunderstorm instantaneously. However, authors, unlike everyday people, can take this seemingly dull small talk conversation topic and manipulate it however they like.
ReplyDeleteThe usage of weather in literature is increasingly universal; everyone has heard a ghost story that begins with, "it was a dark and stormy night." Folk tales and myths use weather to affect the story, which are then passed down generation to generation, proving the weather is a key element; if it was insignificant, it would have been forgotten long ago. Even today, Thor, the Norse god of thunder, is iconic in today's pop culture.
Even in cinema, the weather is used to provoke certain feelings from the audience. Rain communicates a melancholy, sad feeling; sun is generally associated with positive emotions; violent storms indicate intense scenes. Movies have adapted these patterns from novels. In Grapes of Wrath, the novel opens by describing the dreary condition of Oklahoma, mentioning the struggle of the flora and fauna, which ultimately effects the human race. Steinbeck heavily relies on weather in his novel to trigger certain events and bring forth a certain sad tone in the novel.
Considering weather patterns have been so significant in several forms of art throughout history, it is not surprising that today's media uses this to its advantage. Weather manipulation in writing is simply a written translation of how the weather effects us. It is one of the most realistic tools authors can use to change feelings within seconds.