Great Gatsby Weather

As everyday life rolls on, few stop and notice the weather that surrounds them, let alone the way it impacts them. Researcher Matthew Keller explains how weather greatly affects our way of life and how we act, for example, “High temperature is reliably associated with violent behavior” (724-725). This is true of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as well as the explanation of weather offered by Thomas C. Foster in How to Read Literature like a Professor. The Great Gatsby involves intense emotion and turmoil often heightened by climate. Foster explains in detail the many implications of weather on literature, explaining the symbolic value of weather in The Great Gatsby. The weather in The Great Gatsby is a crucial motif to the story with

In The Great Gatsby, rain is able to portray a great deal of meaning and symbolic value. As Foster asserts, “It’s never just rain” (70). This is especially true of The Great Gatsby, as every drop of water in the book holds great significance. Rain, of course, is a huge component of Gatsby and Daisy reuniting. The rain symbolized the rebirth of their relationship but also the anxiety Gatsby felt in the situation. This was what he had waited for his whole life so the rain acts to show the nerves he felt. Nick describes that Gatsby “...was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes”(Fitzgerald 86). The rain represents the feelings that overwhelmed Gatsby. However, Gatsby’s dream of being with Daisy died with him. At his funeral there is but a few people there, disgracing his name and reputation. All that he had worked for was gone but someone expresses at the funeral, “Blessed are the dead that the rain falls on” (Fitzgerald 174-175). The rain created a somber situation and in combination with the statement, Fitzgerald is commenting on the fact that Gatsby’s death is being recognized by the rain. The reader realizes that while no one attended the funeral, Gatsby still is associated with important events, such as the rain. Rain is able to influence the story immensely and in many ways which the reader can