Rain, Rain, Go Away

“Sunbathing. Always sunbathing. I wonder where her boy is. He’s usually out on a nice day like this, standing in that tremendous yard of theirs and throwing the ball against the house. Did you ever see him, George?”

Supporting Curiosity and Judgment as a theme, Mrs. Wright’s close observation of her new neighbors is on full display. Her repetition that her neighbor spends her days sunbathing suggests disapproval, as further emphasized by the idea that “her boy” should be outside on a nice day. The motif of watching, along with the fact that she knows what he “usually” does, hints that Mrs. Wright has spent considerable time observing her neighbors.

“He’s a nice boy, quiet and well-behaved. I wish Tommie would make friends with him. He’s the right age, too, just about ten, I should say.”

This quote connects to the motif of seeing and watching and to The Illusion of Perfection and Control as a theme. Because the Sakkaro boy is quiet and well-behaved, Mrs. Wright assumes that he’s “nice.” This develops the superficial nature of her character along with the belief that if things look right, they must be right.

“She’s always looking at the sky; I’ve seen her do it a hundred times and she’s never been out when it’s the least bit cloudy. Once, when her boy was out playing, she called to him to come in, shouting that it was going to rain. I happened to hear her and I thought, Good Lord, wouldn’t you know and me with a wash on the line, so I hurried out and, you know, it was broad sunlight.”

This quote does a lot of heavy lifting: It develops the theme of Curiosity and Judgment, foreshadows the Sakkaros’ fear of rain, and emphasizes Mrs. Wright’s domestic role as the one in the family who does laundry. In addition, it highlights a contrast between the two women: While Mrs. Sakkaro runs inside at the possibility of rain, Mrs. Wright runs outside. This further foreshadows the idea that the Wrights’ fear of their neighbors is unjustified.

“It wasn’t easy. It was hard. I stood there, jittering, with my finger on the doorbell, till I thought that ringing the bell would be easier than having the door open and being caught there standing like a fool.”

Because Mrs. Wright has exaggerated the mystery of the new neighbors in her imagination, the hardest thing she can comprehend having to do is ring their doorbell, further developing Asimov’s indirect characterization. The passage also suggests that for Lillian, one of the worst things in life is to be embarrassed, a fate even worse than the Fear of the Unknown that awaits on the other side of the door.

“She was as sweet as she could be. Invited me in, knew who I was, said she was so glad I had come to visit. You know.”

These lines reinforce the foreshadowing that the Sakkaros are “sweet,” perhaps artificially so. In addition, subtext suggests that the Sakkaros have spent as much time observing the Wrights as Mrs. Wright has spent observing them, creating a somewhat ominous tone. However, because Mrs. Wright feels entitled and metaphorically “right” in the world, she takes it as a matter of course that the neighbor she has barely spoken to knows her.

“I thought if I suggested something that would let the children have fun, it would be easier for her to go along with it. She wouldn’t want to spoil a chance for her boy.”

This passage develops two key ideas. First, it demonstrates Mrs. Wright’s manipulative nature because she has intentionally proposed an activity that her neighbor will find difficult to refuse. Second, her manipulation relies on the presumption that all mothers only want their sons to be happy, fitting the social expectations of the setting.

“It was a secret of their happy marriage that Lillian paid no attention to George.”

The verbal irony of this line, along with its concision and its place in a long string of dialogue, makes it stand out in the story. By this point, it’s obvious that Mr. Wright pays little attention to his wife, rather than the other way around. However, the story conveys a sense that they do like each other and perhaps listen just enough to maintain a kind of closeness.

“‘Her kitchen,’ said Lillian, ignoring him, ‘was so spanking clean you just couldn’t believe she ever used it. I asked for a drink of water and she held the glass underneath the tap and poured slowly so that not one drop fell in the sink itself. It wasn’t affectation. She did it so casually that I just knew she always did it that way. And when she gave me the glass she held it with a clean napkin. Just hospital-sanitary.’”

This passage reiterates Mrs. Wright’s dismissal of her husband’s wishes, but in a way that more accurately depicts their relationship: It isn’t that she doesn’t pay attention but that she doesn’t care what he wants to hear. In addition, this passage foreshadows the Sakkaros’ fear of water and their existence as sugar-based life forms: Mrs. Wright doesn’t believe that Mrs. Sakkaro has ever used her kitchen, which is confirmed later by the implication that the family consumes only sugar. It also develops The Illusion of Perfection and Control as a theme because the “hospital-sanitary” conditions appeal to Lillian’s sense of order and rightness.

“The Sakkaros were young and pleasant, dark and handsome. In fact, as they came down the long walk from their home to where the Wright automobile was parked, George leaned toward his wife and breathed into her ear, ‘So he’s the reason.’”

This passage gives the reader the first perspective of the Sakkaros that isn’t Mrs. Wright’s. The description of them stops just one word short of the cliché “tall, dark and handsome” but gives no other details about their appearance. They’re presented as blandly inoffensive. However, this marks a shift in George’s interest in the family and a growing internal tension: He might be jealous of his wife being eager to get to know the handsome neighbor.

“He said he’s just a student of human nature.”

Mr. Wright tells his wife that this was Mr. Sakkaro’s response to his hinting questions about his profession. It further develops the change in his character, and supports the theme of Curiosity and Judgment. The line also foreshadows that the Sakkaros aren’t what they appear, suggesting that Mr. Sakkaro is different from his human neighbors, whose nature he must study.

“The Sakkaros were each holding three sticks of cotton candy, huge swirls of pink foam consisting of threads of sugar dried out of frothy syrup that had been whipped in a warm vessel. It melted sweetly in the mouth and left one feeling sticky.”

This passage provides another respite from Mr. and Mrs. Wright’s colloquial dialogue and uses both vivid sensory details and technical language. This again centers the motif of sugar/sweetness, emphasizing the look, feel, and taste of the cotton candy in a “warm vessel” that might represent a sense of home. Notably, this is more description than has been dedicated to any of the characters in the story. In addition, it’s characteristic of Asimov’s own interest in how things work, in this case the precise method used to create cotton candy.

“Mrs. Sakkaro wailed that all the forecasts had been for fair weather.”

Until this point in the story, Mrs. Wright would probably find it difficult to imagine Mrs. Sakkaro wailing about anything. She has been a model of politeness and perfection. This emphasizes Mrs. Sakkaro’s desperation to get home and her terror about the coming rain. In addition, it demonstrates The Illusion of Perfection and Control as a theme, since the Sakkaros have done everything in their power to ensure that they received accurate forecasts.

“The ride back seemed to stretch interminably. There was no conversation to speak of. Mr. Sakkaro’s radio was quite loud now as he switched from station to station.”

This presents a contrast with the ride to the park, when conversation moved easily but impersonally and the radio was an imperceptible hum. Now, the situation has become personal for all of them, as the Sakkaros fear for their lives and the Wrights are actively sick of their guests. The tension in the car has become as much a force as the gathering storm.