Both Southern gothic and Canadian short stories deal with hostile climates, however the nature of these climates differ greatly between the two. For instance, in southern gothic short stories the point of interest and conflict is within a house, or because of their proximity to home. In contrast, Canadian short stories most often deal with the extraneous circumstance of weather, and the issues it brings. Both genres map the mental decline of individuals but the circumstances are distinctly their own. In the Canadian genre the weather has a large impact on the outcome of the story. The ferocity of the weather mirrors the conflict between the characters and acts to increase the tension in the relationships. The weather serves to highlight,
