Rain, Rain, Go Away

Beginning with the story’s title, weather is a guiding motif that foreshadows the climax and contributes to the story’s overall tone. Mrs. Wright’s observations of Mrs. Sakkaro center on her reactions to the weather and Mrs. Wright’s belief that the woman’s fear of rainclouds is “odd.” The two families’ opinions of weather clearly differentiate them from one another: The Sakkaros live in mortal terror of a raindrop, while Mr. Wright refers to a “good rainy climate” (128).

When the families arrive at Murphy’s Park, the tone is set for a day of fun, “with a cheerfully bright sun in a blue, blue sky” (131), but thematically this turns out to have been only The Illusion of Perfection and Control. The changing weather mirrors the growing tension between the two families and within the Sakkaro family in particular: The impending thunderstorm is as “insistent” (132) on arriving as the Sakkaros are on leaving. As the storm approaches and the wind kicks up, Asimov’s shift to more narrative storytelling gives the impression that the Sakkaros are themselves holding their breath, and the rain falling “as though some celestial dam had suddenly burst” (133) brings about the story’s sudden climax and resolution.