The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Rain is mentioned in two instances. When the narrator walks home, he says that “rain had been falling all day, and it had been a cold, gloomy, almost menacing rain, with, I remember, an unmistakable spite against mankind” (227). Soon after, he notices the girl’s clothes that are soaked from the rain. Rain is also mentioned in his dream, the narrator lies in his coffin, and drops of water start falling in his eye. In the first example, the rain contributes to the gloomy atmosphere and the depressive state of the narrator, as he views the rain as something menacing and spiteful, emphasizing his negative worldview. On the other hand, the rain foreshadows and symbolizes the transformation and rebirth that the narrator is about to go through; he is being purified and cleansed from his old harmful state of mind. The girl’s wet clothes symbolize her significance to the narrator’s transformation, and her innocence; the narrator is also being brought to a state of innocence, as he rids himself of cynicism.

Light recurs as a motif to guide the narrator in his journey. While walking on the dark, rainy street, he contemplates on the street lamps, thinking that putting them out would make the street look “less cheerless” because “the gas made one’s heart sadder because it lighted it all up” (227).