It's More Than Just Rain or Snow

Thomas C. Foster says that, in literature, "weather is never just weather." It always symbolizes something more: a theme, a mood, a tone. In The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger, weather is especially important. The first sentence of almost every chapter is a weather update, and it is always more important than just weather.

Rain is constantly used to express the emotions of the characters in the novel. One example is on the day of the wedding. The two main characters are marrying each other. From the time they wake in the morning there is a torrential downpour, and there is no sign of it letting up. The rain symbolizes their overwhelming uncertain and nervous feelings. As soon as the wedding is over, and the nervous feelings disappear, the rain stops.

Tragedy appears many times in this novel, and snow is all around during these tragedies. Snow is full of beauty and wonder, but it has the possibility to turn dangerous and ugly. These tragedies were all complete accidents. The days seemed like any normal day, or possibly even a great day, but in the wake of this happiness things got out of control and it all turned ugly. Tragedies and death are inescapable in life; just like snow, they are all inclusive. When the snow appears in this novel, the tragedy is never far away.

I always noticed that the weather was used in literature, but I never fully understood the complexity that just one form of precipitation, or lack of, can have on the piece of literature as a whole.

A Fairy Tale

Everyone knows the story of Cinderella. That is probably the reason why it is used so often in literary works and other entertainment purposes throughout the years. The new music video by Rascal Flatts uses the story of Cinderella in a different way than it is usually portrayed.

There are still certain symbols that make it seem like the story of Cinderella. There is a formal ball, a clock that strikes midnight, and the, ever present, glass slipper. What is different, though, is that the characters have met before.

The song is about a couple that has recently broken up, and when they see each other they pretend that the breakup is "easy" for them. Upon hearing the song I thought "this is just another breakup song: nothing special." But, after seeing the music video I really began to love this song. By comparing this relationship to the relationship of Prince Charming and Cinderella there is a new-found appreciation. The lyrics in the song are pretty miserable, but the parallels leave the viewer with hope of a reconnection. The video ends with the guy finding the glass slipper, so the viewer infers that the main characters have the chance of rekindling their relationship.

Most of the time the fairy tale parallels come of super cheesy, but I quite enjoyed this one. I enjoy a happy ending so the parallel with this music video really works for me.