In this chapter, Foster explores the clichés associated with weather.
First, why is it a dark and stormy night? The author has full control over the weather in his book. So while in real life we can simply blame Mother Nature for unfortunate weather circumstances, the author cannot. There must be a reason it's dark and stormy rather than sunny.
Foster delves into rain and our associations with it. Rain is prevalent in mythology and religion. Foster cites the obvious example of Noah's Arc. This event was very destructive but ultimately signifies a new start. While rain can obviously be gloomy and eerie, it can also be purifying and renewing. Foster next discusses the cleansing side of rain. While, yes rain is obviously physically cleansing, it can also be so metaphorically. For example, if a character walks through the rain he may arrive cleansed and emotionally transformed. Of course this can go the other way if the character falls and gets physically dirtier on the journey.
Rain is also restorative with its association to spring. It can lead the world into a new life or growth. For example in The Lion King, rain is used in the sense of a rebirth. After Simba defeats Scar, rain is used to put out the fire and to signify the rebirth of the kingdom as Simba becomes the king. After he is named king, the sun comes out, everything looks green and fresh, and everyone looks happy. So as we've explored the many things rain can do, ultimately it can both destroy and recreate the world.
Another element of rain is the rainbow that follows. The rainbow traditionally symbolizes "divine promise, peace between heaven and earth". Today, we generally get caught up in the pot of gold or the leprechaun at the end but, nonetheless it ultimately symbolizes happiness and goes along with the rebirth aspect of rain.
Another aspect of weather is that of fog. Fog is almost always thought of as dark and mysterious. Foster associated it with confusion in the sense that "people can't see clearly, that matters under consideration are murky." Physically, fog can be very dangerous to drivers or pilots trying to navigate through the thick cloud. This same sense of danger and confusion is present when mentally ones judgement is "clouded" or when ones mind is "in a fog". This represents ones lack of clarity usually when making a decision. Both physically and mentally fog is hazardous and hinders our ability to see clearly.
The last weather element discussed is snow. Snow is as paradoxical as rain. Foster fully captures this when explaining snow, "snow is clean, stark, severe, warm (as an insulating blanket, paradoxically), inhospitable, inviting, playful, suffocating, filthy (after time has elapsed).
Overall, weather in literature is truly not just part of the setting. It often tells us much more about the characters and their emotions.
