Symbolism Of Rain In Homer's The Odyssey '

Chapter 10. It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow In this chapter, Foster goes into the topic of rain. He talks a bit about snow at the very end, but rain is really the main focus. As we all know, rain can mean a lot of different things. Very often, it is paired with a thunderstorm. In this context it most likely creates an aura of hardship. If a character is already at a difficult time in their life, putting them in the middle of a thunderstorm just amplifies that. Now it goes beyond whatever they are feeling inside, so on top of that they have to deal with being soaking wet and in a bit of danger. But while thunderstorms symbolize hardship, they can also symbolize strength. In Homer’s The Odyssey, a thunder clap signals that Zeus is watching over them. Amidst this hardship, Odysseus and his men have the most powerful man alive on their side. In the Harry Potter series, it symbolizes both at the same time. The lightning shaped scar on Harry’s forehead is the ultimate reminder of the death of Harry’s parents. Since Voldemort gave it to …show more content…
When Elizabeth learns and her sister Jane is sick, she walks all the way to Bingley's house in the pouring rain, getting muddy up to the knees of her dress. She arrives at Bingley’s home completely drenched and unladylike. As expected, her elitist friends are appalled by this. They are all used to a lifestyle of keeping up appearances, that this display of recklessness comes off as completely inappropriate. Ironically, Elizabeth is in many ways “cleaner” than all of them. While they are unable to understand why any woman would do such a thing, Elizabeth does this because she needs to be by her sister’s side. She has not been jaded by the idea that reputation is more important than love. So when she walks through the rain, it proves her to be more emotionally clean than the people around her. She makes her decisions based on human concerns and emotions, not on what others have told is