Category: Rain

The natural daily events started without delay. Birds were twittering and singing like the voices of angels, filling the air with the sweet sound of nature. They flew around, rooftop to rooftop at amazing speeds. Their feathers ruffled slightly in the breeze and, quite often, they sprung around on their tiny, diminutive feet on the lawns of people, living in the area, searching around for any traces of food for their breakfast.

The sun had now fully risen revealing all of its beauty it looked though as if it were a gateway to heaven. The hills and moors all shone with the intense sunlight and all the living things in the area woke up to the new day however the staleness of the winter air had slowly begun to spread,winter chills were running through the rooms of the house like a ghost silently coming and going. Suddenly in the distance, there was a faint booming sound like a beating drum. The noise soon started to get louder and louder until all that could be heard was the deafening noise! People from houses along the street ran out onto the road and huddled together to witness a roaring fire devastating the house of a family living nearby. The owners of the house desperately attempted to remove valuable and sentimental items from the burning wreck, but all was in vain as the glaring fire obliterated their irreplaceable possessions and their home. The incandescent flames suddenly erupted scattering fragmented glass and debris several yards away. The chillness of the stale,city air was devoured by the scorching blazes of the vicious element, which had just destroyed the lives of a victim family.

They had managed to get very few possessions out of the burning wreck the however, the remainder of their belongings had burned away over the mourning day. Even though the land itself had been severely damaged,vast amounts of heavy rain fell on the small village and quickly formed huge puddles over the streets. The wreckage started to smoke vigorously but also slowed down quickly since any remains of fire or ash were extinguished before any more damage could be done. People living in their snug, warm homes ran to their windows to witness sheets of torrential rain crashing into the thick, impenetrable tarmac. As it fell to the ground, loud thundering noises were made like the shattering of glass. The ground was almost groaning in grief as the rain continuously hammered it at a huge force and settled in great pools of motionless water. The sun shone its rays, yet again, after many hours of thunderous rain.

The puddles had forms large pools of water and shone in the gentle sunlight, yet the remains of the destroyed house lay there in between two other towering houses and had been abandoned by its owners who had left it to move on to a new place and leave their old one to stay there in its place, solitary and pitiful as it lay in ruins on a wet, windy winters day.

As stated earlier, rainy days are enjoyed by people of all ages. The kids are probably the most excited lot of all. Rainy days bring pleasant weather and uplift the moods of kids. Moreover, it gives them a chance to step out and play in the rain, jump in the puddles and make paper boats.

Similarly, for students, a rainy day means a break from school. It gives them a break from their monotonous routine as the school declares a holiday. The joy of going to school on a rainy day enjoying the weather and then realizing the school is closed is one of a kind experience. The students become relaxed and spend their day doing other activities like going out with friends and more.

When I think of rainy days, it brings back very special memories for me. However, one memory is such which is the closest to my heart. I remember our teacher scheduled a test for us when it started raining heavily.

I woke up in the morning with the fear of taking the test for which I was not prepared. I prayed to God for the cancellation of the test. As I was getting ready, it started raining heavily. I got dressed up and went to school with my father, and to my surprise, we came to know the school was closed that day due to a rainy day.

I was on top of the world when I came to know about it. I returned with my father and came back then undressed. Immediately, I changed into my home clothes to go fand bathe in the rain on my terrace. I played with my siblings a lot in the rain; we made paper boats as well. After we were done, we saw that my mother was making onion fritters. She served them burning hot with chili chutney. We relished the fritters as we watched the rainfall. It was truly one of the most memorable rainy days of mine.

Where does water come from? Rain is one of them and one of the largest sources of water on earth. It is a liquid manifestation (other prescriptions that are not liquid such as snow, ice crystals, and slit). Water droplets that fall on land due to the process of condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere are then called rain. The type of rain that falls is divided into several types depending on how the process is formed, including frontal rain, orographic rain, artificial rain, and convection rain. In this chapter what we will discuss is orographic rain, according to the process of formation that is part of the River Basin.

Orographic rain or well-known people with rain that occurs in the mountains, is rain which the process occurs due to an increase in air containing water vapor from the valley to the top for wind assistance that is dry (wind fohn). The air that rises to the top and contains water vapor will cause a decrease in temperature on the mountain and then condense to eventually cause rain on the slopes.

The connection with water travel in the watershed ecosystem, the grains of rainwater that falls on the slope do not fall directly to the ground but are held in the canopy of trees in the mountain valleys. Then the water seeped down from the leaves, into the branches and branches soaking all parts of the tree, down again until it reaches the roots and settled into the ground as groundwater reserves and form a layer of aquifers. Groundwater, both deep groundwater (artesian) and shallow groundwater, is the main source of water availability in a watershed ecosystem, as a provider of clean water, a source of drinking water along with the necessities of human life, as irrigation for paddy fields, as generator electricity and also as a natural laboratory.

But the story will be different if the water that falls from an orographic rain is not held up by a tree canopy so that the water that falls directly hits the ground. Rainwater has the property of damaging or eroding when it occurs in large numbers and directly splashes on the ground causing erosion. Erosion caused by this occurs because rainwater which directly splashes on the soil or rocks will erode the soil or rock so that the material is soft and easily destroyed. If the material is soft and easily destroyed, then the rainwater journey that ensues then continues into the flow of material both soil and rock down from the mountains (upper watershed) to the area below, until it empties into the coastal areas.

The artwork of my choosing is the large oil painting done by the artist Gustave Caillebotte in 1877 and was placed in the Art Institution of Chicago under the name of ‘Paris Street, Rainy Day’. This piece of art was considered huge considering its 212.2 cm x 276.2 cm dimensions. The artist in his display shows a certain street in Paris wonderful streets in a rainy day, showing a big beautiful classical building to reflect the construction work; Accompanied by a clear vision of several roads. Nevertheless, the setting of the picture included a great view of the classy street. In Paris Street, Rainy Day the artist Gustave Caillebotte uses shapes, and lines to capture the feelings of the people walking in the classy street of Paris on a romantic rainy day.

The setting of the artwork was clarified clearly in the title of the painting ‘Paris Street, Rainy Day’ which is one of the streets in Paris in the 1870s. The visual representation in this artwork is people walking around a street on a rainy day. The sky is full of clouds and the roads are filled with water relevant to the rainy weather, and people are holding umbrellas and wearing classy designer clothes, basically, this is the reflection of reality in this piece of art. Holding an umbrella is a visual presentation of people covering themselves from getting their attire wet from the rain, however, this scene can be explained in many ways; One way is that the holding of the umbrella could be to avoid contact in any way with any other people. Moreover, focusing on the man in the very front shows that he has a mustache that symbolizes the great French mustache strike of the 1900s (Taub, 2018, p:1). Gustave was always considered an impressionist artist; In this drawing, he is giving the impression of a rainy day in the transformed Paris landscape. The last visual recognition observed in this artwork is the old classy car to the left of the drawing to show one way of transportation in the 1870s.

In ‘Paris Street, Rainy Day’ the painting techniques varied between the background and foreground; The people in the very front were drawn clearly and in detail, while in the back of the painting, items were drawn with less level of detailing. The artists in his painting drew the woman and the man in the front precisely to show the exact figure of the men and women in that area back in the 70s focusing on drawing their attire and face clearly. Moreover, in the back, the people are displayed vaguely. ‘Paris Street, Rainy Day’ is characterized more by its realism and reliance on line, rather than the typically loose brushwork of the Impressionist idiom. (Paris Street, Rainy Day, 1877).

In this piece of work, the artist Gustave Caillebotte was an impressionist painter. In this painting, the artist gave the impression to the audience of the transformation of the French landscape that was introduced by Baron Haussmann in the era between 1809 and 1891. The painter visualized the big scale of architectural development that was taking place at that time that makes humans look tiny. In this visual the people appear to be stranded and distracted by their own thoughts, not taking into consideration their surroundings and not paying attention to the people passing by; In fact, the characters in the drawing seem to be moving fast rather than having a nice slow walk, but then again, the rain might be the reason behind this. The scene is a rainy scene, with men walking in their fancy frock coats and hats and women in nice dresses. Trying to hide from the rain using umbrellas that might indicate some sort of insecurities or fear of other people`s interactions. Focusing on the drawing of a lamppost in the middle of the painting, a person can vividly see the reflection of this post landing on the watery ground; This lamppost is placed right in the middle of the painting giving the painting structure a decisive framework. Gustave gave his best to show the idea of social distancing and people pulled apart to express his dissatisfaction with what was in progress back then in the 70s ‘But most importantly this work stands out from the rest of Impressionist cityscapes because of its unoptimistic take on Paris’ (GalleryIntell, p:1). An argument to be dealt with as well is that the picture coincides with a historical point in history, and can be seen in 2 ways, either a vision of the past time or the future (Mcdaniel, 161).

It was mid-July. There had been no rains for several months at a stretch. It was unbearably hot. All the pools and ponds had run dry. The sun shone brightly from the leaden sky. The earth was parched and dry. The cattle were dying in a large number.

People and herds of cattle with their tongues lolling out, took rest in the shade of trees. Birds fluttered about helplessly in search of water, but alas! not a drop of water was to be found anywhere. It was feared that a famine would break out if there were no rains in the near future. People offered prayers and performed ‘Yajnas’ to propitiate the angry gods to send the rains.

At last their prayers were heard. On the 20th of July, a piece of cloud made its appearance on the horizon. It grew bigger and bigger.

Soon the whole sky was completely overcast. Dark, fleecy clouds began to sail in the sky. It was a sight to see. A cool, life-giving breeze began to blow. It began to drizzle. The drizzle soon changed, into a heavy downpour.

It rained cats and dogs for full two hours. The dark skies groaned like a giant in despair. The trees sighed and moaned as the strong wind passed through them. The lightning flashed and dazzled the eyes. The whole creation seemed to totter at the rumbling of thunder.

The sky burst in all its fury. There was water and water everywhere. The narrow lanes and streets were running streams of water. Children were the happiest of all. They made merry, splashing water at one another. They floated paper boats in the drains. They ran about naked in the streets. Their joy knew no bounds. They sang songs.

There was a fall in the temperature. The weather became cool and pleasant. The trees were washed neat and clean. They looked fresh and green. All dust settled down. It was a happy break in the long spell of the hot and dry weather.

All young and old enjoyed mango parties. Ladies prepared dainty dishes to celebrate the rainy day. The people went out into the open fields to enjoy the beautiful scenes of the cool breeze. The farmers seemed to be happy. Their fields were watered by the beneficent Nature. They entertained hopes of bumper crops. The cattle expected plenty of luscious grass to feed on.

A rainbow appeared in the sky. The peacocks danced. The frogs croaked and the lambs bleated out of joy.

Waiting for the Rain was inspired by the unjust policy of apartheid in South Africa. During the unfair treatment a young boy endured, he had to decide if the value of friendship can overcome extreme tensions risen by a unfavorable system.

It all began on a farm on the South African veld. Tengo was a black boy who laborer on the farm of Frikkie’s uncle. As a child, he was blinded from the unfairness and hardships, and found thorough bliss in a young companion. Frikkie was definitely recognized as higher status. He was accustomed to privileges, such as freedom and schooling, and did not have to encounter the poverty and afflictions of Kaffirs (the black boys). Despite such liberty, he desired nothing more than the visits to his uncle’s farm, where one of the joys of his short stays in the rural area was his friendship with Tengo. .

As Tengo grew, he became deeply disturbed by the political, legal, and social constraints placed on him, his family, and the colored people of the nation by the government and by society. He began to recognize the unfairness and prejudice to his people. He craved knowledge, believing that it was capable of answering his unanswerable question and bringing about change to the discriminatory ways. He yearned for the education and rights of the white. Frikkie, on the other hand, wished for nothing more than to work on his uncle’s farm and to someday inherit it. .

The two boys matured and went their separate ways; Tengo moved into the township in order to attend a school for colored people. He succeed at his studies, and dreamt of one day schooling in the United States, after he received a scholarship for his outstanding achievements. The text motivated him, it was phenomenal how his bewilderment began to diminish as he became a top scholar. Frikkie, however had already complete his schooling and wrote his matric exams, and began his two years of government mandated military service.

After his contribution to the service, he would be able to focus on his true passion, the farm.

Peace and order began to dwindle, as the tension increased among black communities. They finally realized the injustices of the policy of apartheid. The black people began by revolting against the inferiority of the education available (and costly) to them. Riots began to break out in the township in which Tengo was living and attending school. Students began to boycott class and participate in violent demonstrations. Focused and determined, he tried to remain grounded with his studies, to ensure that he would not have to encounter the life his parents resided. As his school remained closed for over a year, Tengo was eventually persuaded by the intense surrounding pressure, and joined the movement. As the country began to feel threaten by actions, they began to act as well. Special police and military servants were brought into the town in order to control the destructions.

One day, in Tengo’s township, a enraged riot outbroke. Police units were called to bring about control over the rallying during an illegal gathering. Frikkie was stationed with one of the departments on duty. As Tengo gathered amongst the protestors to see the chaos, he found himself in trouble. He ending up being the hot pursuit of one of the heated headmen.

Knowing the area well, he raced to the outskirts of town, and hid in a disserted barn. Not being deceived, the military soldier found him hiding. Astounded, the two boys stood face to face. Hesitant, the were deranged on what their next move would be. Tengo broke the silence with an uproar of hostility, he uttered his displeasure about life and how change was on the way. However, Frikkie did not respond, as you would think, being a soldier and all. He rooted this unlikely occurrence as an act of fate. Even though there was unmeasurable pain, their friendship would overcome.

For four days it rained non-stop. The ram was not very heavy but it kept on coming without letting up. Our neighbours and we were all worried about the possibility of a flood—the levels of the nearby river had been rising steadily.

The next day the river overflowed its banks and the water spread out covering the entire area cm which houses stood. To make-matters worse, debris were caught on the bridge thus impeding the flow of the river. This had the effect of making the flood water rise even faster. The array came and blew a gap on the bridge to clear the blockage and this brought some relief to us.

Nevertheless, the rain continued. It was wet everywhere—the ground, our chairs, beds; wet. We could not do any cooking and had to resort to eating canned food. By about four o’clock in the afternoon, it become obvious that we had to evacuate to higher grounds. If we lingered any longer, we might become trapped by the rising water and then we would really be in trouble. So with a few belongings we trudged through knee-deep water towards a school situated on a hill nearby. The school was temporarily being used as a flood relief centre. When we reached the school we met many of our neighbours who had already gone there earlier. We were provided with food and a place to sleep. All that we could do was to wait for the flood to be over.

After sitting out two days at the flood relief centre, the flood water finally subsided enough for us to return home. The rain had not actually stopped but was still drizzling slightly, but we were all happy to be able to go home.

What a shock awaited us when we reached home! Instead of the cosy little place we knew so well, we were greeted by a mess of mud and rubbish. It was an unbelievable sight to behold. I could see my bicycle almost fully buried in the mud. Only one handlebar could be seen above the mud. It was mud, mud and more mud everywhere. Yellow sticky mud covered the floor up to ten centimeters, patches of mud on the wall, on the beds, on the TV set, hi the kitchen, inside the locked cupboard everywhere.

So we got down to the tedious job of giving our house a thorough cleaning. All day through—we slogged, sweated and cursed. Still we could not finish the cleaning. By night, the whole lot of us, my parents, my elder brother and younger sister were totally exhausted. Mother, what a wonderful mother she was, still managed to whip up a hot dinner for us despite the chaotic condition of the house. After dinner we fell asleep on our beds. The beds were still damp but nobody complained.

Morning came and we all woke up to a bright and sunny day. I never felt such joy before as we went outdoors to soak in the warm rays of the rising sun. Everything seemed to have enlivened—birds sang, cocks crowed and there was a general ‘aliveness’ in the air. We were in good spirits. Our neighbours too were obviously pleased, as we exchanged fond greetings and hung out our wet clothes to dry in the sun.

We spent the next two days cleaning up our house. We could not totally remove the mud and grime so we did the best we could to make the house a cosy home again. When we finished, father took us to a well known restaurant to have a well-deserved dinner.

Our problems were not all over, as I discovered when we were on our way to town for our “well-deserved dinner.” We could not cross the river for the bridge was not usable. We had to take a long detour to another bridge which made our journey a few kilometres longer.

For more than a year we had to endure the inconvenience of the long detour in coming and going from our area. It also took about that length for time for things to return to normal. New drains were made and most of all the omnipresent slimy mud turned into grass covered soil, so wonderful to walk barefooted on. I suppose this was one way that nature uses to renew itself. Whatever it is, I hope we will not have to go through another flood, it is absolutely no fun.

The performance of masculinity, a theory introduced by Judith Butler, is explored through the characters in Arturo Islas’ The Rain God. Islas introduces male characters that encompass a wide range of masculine representations and roles placed upon the male gender specifically in the Mexican culture. His text constructs masculinity in his characters through the representation and image of the body. At a young age Islas battles polio and is left with a limp, this illness creates an awareness of his own body. This life event along with other parts of his life crosses over into The Rain God and the character of Miguel Chico serves as a surrogate in the fictional autobiographical novel.

The image of the body for each male character correlates to the level of masculinity that he holds and remains significant in identifying the existence of machismo or the lack thereof. Machismo is often seen as a negative characteristic; a trait more specifically attributed to men. Ernest Hemingway describes Américo Paredes as “the most hallowed interpreter of the macho” (Rodriguez 205). Folklorist Paredes defines machismo best in his essay “The United States,Mexico, and ‘Machismo’” as a trait that dominates men all across our world, yet observed majorly in Mexico, because it “is a whole pattern of behavior” (26). He defines it as a trait that represents the bravado in men, the honor and bravery, the “superman of the multitude” (17), yet it has become tainted with a “ ‘false’ machismo” (18) which reflects the negative qualities, such as “the outrageous boast, a distinct phallic symbolism, the identification of the man with the male animal” (17). These contrasting definitions of machismo, play a role in the confusion that exists in society and in men, when attempting to perform the role.

Gloria Anzaldúa describes the concept of “machismo” as the result of the colonizing and conquest by the Spanish. She traces constructed machismo, as a result of “hierarchical male dominance” in relation to the oppression by the Anglo man and to the history of control and dominance over the Mexican man, who due to his own feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, “displaces or transfers these feelings to the Chicano by shaming him” (105). The shame exerted on the Mexican and Mexican American man creates a “deep sense of racial shame” and their loss of pride and honor, “breeds a false machismo which leads him to put down women and even to brutalize them” (105). This cycle of violence and shaming continues and becomes a false expectation of machismo and of the performance of masculinity.

The male characters in The Rain God explore the concept of the body as a stage and masculinity as its performance. Just as in theater, the stage is necessary to reinforce the setting in which the actors perform. The same applies to the image of the body since it is the necessary setting in which gender, and in this case masculinity, performs its role. Islas uses the recurring symbol of death throughout the novel to illustrate the tragic consequence and punishment confronted by men who fail at the performance of masculinity. The male characters in The Rain God explore the concept of the body as a stage and masculinity as its performance. Just as in theater, the stage is necessary to reinforce the setting in which the actors perform. The same applies to the image of the body since it is the necessary setting in which gender, and in this case masculinity, performs its role. Islas uses the recurring symbol of death throughout the novel to illustrate the tragic consequence and punishment confronted by men who fail at the performance of masculinity.

Islas uses death as the figurative representation of society’s criticism, a family haunted by death, and serving as a symbol of their inheritance, and their punishment. It is not a mark of the end, but rather punishment for a family of “sinners” (4), as described by Islas. Death acts as the critic, to those who failed to fulfill their role, their performance, their expectation. As we read about each character, death trails closely behind. Death translates as the voice of society, speaking out against the performance of masculinity. Death serves as the ultimate punishment for this sin. The manner in which death manifests itself in each character reflects their performance. In order to explore the role of death as a representation of society’s punishment for the failed masculine body, the novel represents the male images of the body through the characters of Miguel Chico, Miguel Grande, Felix and JoEl, including their performance of masculinity.

Societal views and the media support are responsible for the view of masculinity reflecting on the image of the body and its performance. Islas’ focus on outward appearance, the image of the body, lies in how each character highlights and performs their masculinity. When the image of masculinity is not performed to its fullest expectation a broken sense is experienced and the body becomes the reflection of this narrative. This is when society reacts to those who do not fit the image of masculinity with negative criticism and a lack of acceptance.

Islas explores the representations of masculinity and the construction of male identities in The Rain God. Through the characters of Miguel Grande, Miguel Chico, Felix Angel and his son JoEl, we are introduced to male representations that society has constructed, accepted and rejected. Each one of these male characters represents the voice of masculinity defining itself. Through their actions, their relationships, and their inner most thoughts we can identify the influences in their lives and the pain exhibited and felt by the male gender intrinsically. Each one of these characters is physically different from each other, yet so similar, internally. They all belong to the same family, from the same root, under the same matriarch influence, Mama Chona. Each man has faced their share of impacted life events, and each one is influenced and constructed into their own image. This image is what others use to measure their masculinity.

The image of the male body is the narrative of the masculine identity of each character. Miguel Chico represents the disabled man who lives dependent on a machine; he represents the incomplete “half” man. He is a man in search of completeness, and acceptance, yet burdened by society’s views, their rejection, and expectations of the male identity that he should hold. Miguel Grande, his father, represents the galán. He is the image of the perfect man, handsome, strong, widely accepted by society and his family. He represents the image of masculinity in the eyes of family, society, and of the Mexican culture. He falls into the most widely accepted and recognized image in Mexican culture, the “macho.” This image is a supported act of masculinity that has distinctive features that are repeatedly used in the media and by authors to reinforce the stereotype of Mexican masculinity. Miguel Grande’s brother, Felix, represents the repressed man, the juxtaposition of the galan, and the feminine man. Felix’s denial of his homosexuality bestows death upon him, not only emotionally, but physically as well. He represents the masculine identity that represses desire and voice. JoEl, Felix’s son is the representation of the damaged man. He is tormented and damaged because of the broken relationship he had with his father, and then it worsens after Felix’s death. Though other characters face similar father-son issues, JoEl appears to represent the separation and anxiety that men face from the lack of a father’s presence. Yet his pain and loss are not expressed, allowing for further questioning into the type of relationship that JoEl and Felix really had. His damaged behavior is manifested through his precarious ways of coping and his rejection of any acceptance. Each one of these characters embodies a stereotype constructed from the idea of the perfect “macho.” The machista is a more widely acceptable and recognized representation of masculinity by society. The “others,” such as the disabled or homosexual man are considered taboo and rejected, and viewed as a resistance against nature. The machista serves as the stereotyped male who will not allow for anyone in society to dictate or control his actions and behavior. He lives life in his own accord, and represents the ultimate image of masculinity that everyone must adhere to, because to him it is the only way and the only performance of his body. Miguel Chico is the oldest son of Miguel Grande, the favorite and closest grandchild of Mama Chona. Islas begins with Miguel Chico’s story most likely because this character represents the author’s own voice and holds a closer tie to his personal story than the rest of the male characters in the novel. Miguel Chico’s body represents the disabled man. He attempts to perform and represent an image of masculinity instilled in him since birth, but throughout his life he is considered an inadequate man by his family and society. At a young age, he realizes that there is no avoiding death and this forms the idea that his life is rather to embrace that death will come one day. His decision to separate from his family and continue his education, stem from his idea that knowledge is power, and only through obtaining this, will he be able to prolong death from reaching him, yet straying away from the expectation he should have fulfilled, makes him a sinner, and he pays through punishment.

Society finds his father, Miguel Grande, the perfect image of masculinity; by contrast, Miguel Chico’s disabled body is a failure and is the testament of someone running away from his role of masculinity. Miguel never marries; he fails to fulfill the role of fatherhood, become a family man, or the head of household. A sense of irony lies in all of this, since the only part of his body that still remains and appears whole is his head. Yet this is not enough to create a sense of masculinity accepted by family and society. The body must be whole and work as a whole. His independence and lack of procreating serve as his punishment in the eyes of others. He finds himself ill, and the medication that he takes worsens his condition. His belief of the power in knowledge becomes an irony and his downfall, since the lack of communication and divulging of medical history cause his doctor to prescribe medication that worsens his condition. He ends up in the hospital, connected to tubes, unable to eat, facing death. This moment in his life causes him to give in to death. Knowing that he will have to live wearing a “plastic appliance at his side for the rest of his life” (Islas 7) is far worse than death. His body manifests incompleteness and lacks in performing the role of masculinity. The “appliance” that Islas refers to is the prosthesis in his own life. This “appliance” is an attachment that feels artificial and unfamiliar to him. It is the prop that hinders and impedes Islas’ “own self-perceived capacity for genuine physical (here sexual) relation” (Cutler 8). This appliance is the “impasse of prosthesis, extending and maintaining the body, artificially replacing its functions while simultaneously marking its difference from other bodies” (Cutler 8). He is marked for life as different. He does not meet the expectations of performing his masculinity to the full extent since he cannot have sexual relations. His performance of masculinity interprets as an image of dependence, as someone trapped by their own lack of body. He reflects the stereotype of a woman, trapped by her husband, unable to tear away from the dependency she has placed upon the man. He stands as the incomplete body that cannot perform sexually and appears almost feminine, and is ultimately he image of death, a surrogate to Islas, who constructs this character and uses it to exemplify animage of himself.

“You cannot escape from your body, you cannot escape from your body” (Islas 7) echoed in Miguel Chico’s head as he came in and out of consciousness after his surgery. His thoughts reflect how this novel is a representation of what happens when one suppresses the desires of the body. The novel represents those who live a life that feels the need to exemplify the image of masculinity and is predetermined by others expectations of your gender, of your family role, and of your identity. In the case of Miguel Chico he had to leave home to find his identity and acceptance. At home he was constantly in search of the approval and acceptance of a family and father that judged him and held too many expectations of him. His character reflects the thoughts of the author. According to John Alba Cutler essay, “Prosthesis, Surrogation and Relation in Arturo Islas’s The Rain God,” Miguel Chico is the surrogate of Arturo Islas. Islas was plagued by his own sexual ambiguity and his own disability. He writes that after Islas’ “childhood bout with polio” (Cutler 8) he was left with a limp, and an ulcerative colitis that left him dependent on a colostomy bag his entire life. His condition left him unable to “regard sex casually” (Cutler 8) he admits to feeling rejected and humiliated because of his limp and his bag though no one had actually done so. In Islas’ own words “I feel the constant specter of rejection “You cannot escape from your body, you cannot escape from your body” (Islas 7) echoed in Miguel Chico’s head as he came in and out of consciousness after his surgery. His thoughts reflect how this novel is a representation of what happens when one suppresses the desires of the body. The novel represents those who live a life that feels the need to exemplify the image of masculinity and is predetermined by others expectations of your gender, of your family role, and of your identity. In the case of Miguel Chico he had to leave home to find his identity and acceptance. At home he was constantly in search of the approval and acceptance of a family and father that judged him and held too many expectations of him. His character reflects the thoughts of the author. According to John Alba Cutler essay, “Prosthesis, Surrogation and Relation in Arturo Islas’s The Rain God,” Miguel Chico is the surrogate of Arturo Islas. Islas was plagued by his own sexual ambiguity and his own disability. He writes that after Islas’ “childhood bout with polio” (Cutler 8) he was left with a limp, and an ulcerative colitis that left him dependent on a colostomy bag his entire life. His condition left him unable to “regard sex casually” (Cutler 8) he admits to feeling rejected and humiliated because of his limp and his bag though no one had actually done so. In Islas’ own words “I feel the constant specter of rejection there everywhere, always worrying about the moment of explanation when I’m finally, completely naked” (Cutler 8). A similar description of vulnerability exposes that our author shares the story of the Angel family. Through the performance of Miguel Chico’s disability Islas’ conveys his own story, his own pain, and how he faced the inadequate feelings of masculinity because of his own lack of acceptance in his sexuality, and his own complications. Through Islas’ description of Miguel Chico’s disabled body he shares the image of his own body, his life and even attempts to foreshadow his death. He would later die from AIDS.

During Miguel Chico’s narration we encounter the first death in the novel. It is debated whether his own death is the first death we read about, or merely him drifting off into a sleep where he has expected death to visit him. As Miguel Chico lies on the hospital bed, the surrounding voices appear distant, calling his name, “Meegwell,” as if death were calling for him (Islas 8). This description makes him appear to be on his deathbed, a narration that he recollects of many of the members of his family, the “sinners,” “Felix, his great-aunt Cuca, his cousin Antony on his mother’s side” (4). According to him these are the family members who did not meet the expectations granted on them by family and society. They died possibly feeling shame, rejection, failure and most importantly as sinners. Miguel Chico lives with the belief that sin and failure is paid with death. His death acts as Islas’ way of killing his own self; the death exemplifies how society has rejected the author himself and not allowed for his own representation of masculinity to be accepted. Yet throughout the novel Miguel Chico’s point of view and narration serve as a constant a reminder that though society and his father killed and rejected his identity early on, his voice continues.

Our narrator remains an omnipresent voice throughout each story. The novel appears as a flashback of life, including the moments before Miguel Chico’s death, and the moment after surgery, drugged and drifting into a deep sleep. His last words “I’m an angel…At last, I am what you taught us to be” (Islas 8) are spoken through the pain, through the medical wires, to Mama Chona, who had been long dead. In those last moments, he speaks the truth. Even if this is not the moment of bodily death, it is the moment where his masculinity dies. The surgery creates a new life for him, and the expectations of masculinity become even more difficult to achieve. From this moment he awaits death, because only through death, he finds redemption and finally meets the expectation of masculinity. Death will make his body whole once again, and bring the ultimate redemption, forgiveness, through the eyes of his family. This would be his final act and he would achieve the masculinity he had failed to live.

According to Miguel Chico his disabled, incomplete body causes him more of an emotional pain rather than physical. He fails to identify himself as one of these sinners but does describe that he lives a life away from his family almost as a way of hiding himself. He gives no explanation as to why he never got married, and leaves much for assumption and question of his sexuality. He always says, “Well, I had this operation” as a way in which he lets others decide his identity (Islas 5). His disability makes him feel like half the man he should be. He fails to perform the role he expects of himself. As an incomplete body, he feels robbed of his masculinity. Unable to perform sexually hinders the expectation of masculinity that he desires. Cutler says, “Miguel Chico’s narrative is already familiar as narrative, he becomes the character through which Islas’s own vexingly ambiguous life story is made readable” (9). So not only is Miguel Chico’s body the narrative form of masculinity but it also represents the surrogate role he plays as Islas’ voice. Due to his disability Miguel Chico’s performance of masculinity cannot be achieved to the expectations he has created. The importance of his body as a representation of masculinity floods his thoughts and molds his identity. In this case, Miguel Chico feels a disconnection since he is unable to control his body. This lack of power and control over his body serves as a symbol of femininity, exemplified through his weak state.

His disabled body narrates the lack of masculinity that he feels. His disability conveys the image of femininity. His body is described as weighing “ninety-eight pounds and looked pregnant” (Islas 6) which strips him away from his last bits of masculinity. This comparison to the female body takes it one step further and strips away the last image of masculinity that he can perform. He does not possess the power or strength associated with a man’s body. Instead he describes himself as a female because his abdomen swelled so much that he looked pregnant. The image of a pregnant body supports the idea of him as the surrogate for Islas. His pregnant body represents him as the surrogate who births the image of masculinity and identity that Islas struggled to accept. This continues, after the surgery, when the surgeon tells his mother about how “his intestine was like tissue paper” and that he will be “forever a slave to plastic appliances” (Islas 7). By making this reference the doctor implies that Miguel Chico will forever be dependent on a medical machine to live comfortably, similar to the image of a woman who remains submissive to her husband and family, a slave, without a choice, bound to her home appliances and duties. His body now represents the image of the unhappy housewife who lives her daily life a slave to her stove, her iron, her blender, and her washing machine. This image of dependence, what Miguel Chico rejected by leaving home, follows him and eats away at his body and his portrayal of masculinity. He desires his independence from his family, especially from his father, and in the end he remains dependent on a medical appliance. Masculinity has been stripped from him through the disabled body. He never meets the expectations that the family constructs and places upon him. He never measures up to his father according to society’s perspective. He never marries, has no children, and never becomes close to anyone. Instead he chooses to be on his own, an educated man, whose destiny befalls him through his health. He becomes the voice of the memories and stories of the Angel family. Though he shares that Mama Chona is the matriarch of the family, he chooses to play her role by sharing “the suicide of a cousin, his father’s affair with his mother’s best friend, his uncle’s brutal murder, and the decline and death of his grandmother” (Cutler 10). His body’s condition places him into a space of uselessness, yet he manages to bounce back as the voice of the family, the stand in to Mama Chona, and through his flashback he shares family stories, secrets, and memories, ultimately becoming the surrogate for Mama Chona as well. Women are often depicted as the ones who divulge all the family secrets often labeled as “chismosas,” women who talk to too much and share too much. In this case Miguel Chico has become the feminine role, he cannot perform his gender to his expectation and so he fits the only other role he can.

He is the incomplete man, not only because of his physical deterioration but because of his incomplete spirit and lack of happiness. He lacks the approval of his family. He is envious of how his father’s sins are ignored since everyone has had to rely on him. He believes that judgment on these “sinners” is not given by God; instead it is an act done by the family itself, Mama Chona and every individual that makes up the Angel family. They are the judges who declare rejection and pass judgment upon others. Miguel Chico flees from his own sins and this judgment by leaving the family. His incomplete body becomes his punishment. He cannot run away from the judgment passed over him. It is through this that Islas shows how society deflects their passed judgment by blaming it on God. Death becomes his punishment and taunts him ashis father Miguel Grande remains unpunished.

Miguel Chico’s illness becomes the disabled and frail body, the image of a weak masculinity, what he has always truly felt. Living in his father’s shadow with unattainable expectations formulated the frailness in his spirit and performance of masculinity. He secretly desires and yet feels shame for wanting attention and love from his father. He hates the man his father is, but the reality of not being able to become like his father, turns him into someone who denies the expectation and runs away from everything and everyone who could compare them. Miguel Chico is the voice of Islas; it is his way of injecting himself into the novel. For this reason there is confusion about the identity of the narrator. He is omnipresent, all knowing, and the embodiment of Death, and we ask, “Is he our Rain God?” Each story shares someone’s life and death, along with the impact that influences and creates ripples that do not seem to end. But an exception lies in all of this, one person whose sins go unpunished by death, someone who Miguel Chico is envious of, his own father, Miguel Grande.

DEFINATION:

Precipitation or rain with a high concentration of acids produced by, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and other such gases which result from the combustion of fossil fuels. This has a destructive effect on buildings, aquatic life, and plant. Certain pollutants in the air made the rain acidic and now the rain is called acid rain. Acid rain is a type of acid deposition. It can appear in many forms. Rain, fog, snow, or sleet which is wet deposition that has become more acidic than normal. Another form of acid deposition, is dry deposition. This is when dust particle and gaseous become acidic. Sometimes for very long distances, both dry and wet deposition can be carried by the wind. Acid deposition in dry and wet forms falls on tress, cars, and buildings can make lakes acidic. People can inhale acid deposition in dry form and this can cause health problems in some people.

HOW IT HAPPENS:

Due to the dissolution of carbon dioxide forming weak carbonic acid, rain is naturally acidic. Rain that has a higher hydrogen ion concentration than about 10-5 M is referred as acid rain. Due to the dissolution of acidic oxides in the atmosphere, acid rain occurs. Geothermal hot springs, industrial processes and volcanoes produce sulphur dioxide by metal extraction from sulphide ores and burning fossil fuels such as brown coal. Nitrogen dioxide is the other major acidic oxide that contributes to the formation of acid rain. In high localised temperatures, nitric oxide is formed. To produce nitrogen dioxide, lightning strikes and naturally reacts in the atmosphere. In the high temperatures of combustion chambers of power stations and motor vehicles, nitrogen dioxide is also produced.

CAUSE:

1. Human activities

Chemical gas emissions such as nitrogen and sulphur which are leaded by human activities are the primary contributors to acid rain. The activities include air pollution sources emitting nitrogen and sulphur gases like automobiles, power generation facilities, and factories. The biggest contributor to gaseous emissions leading to acid rain is in particular, use of coal for electrical power generation. High scores of gaseous emissions on daily basis into the air also release by factories and automobiles especially in highly industrialized areas and urban regions with large amount of car traffic. To form various acidic compounds such as nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, and sulfuric acid, these gases react in the atmosphere with oxygen, water, and other chemicals. These areas experience exceedingly high amounts of acid rain, as a result. These acidic compounds are blow by existing wind over large areas across borders. Then they will fall back to the ground in other form of precipitation or of acid rain. it flows across the surface, absorbs into the soil and enters into rivers and lakes and finally gets mixed up with sea water, upon reaching the surface of earth. Primarily gases occurring from electric power generation such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) are responsible for acid rain.

2. Natural sources:

Volcanic emissions is the major natural causal agent for acid rain. To create higher than normal amounts of acid rain or any other form of precipitation such as snow and fog to an extent of affecting health of residents and vegetation cover within the surrounding is caused by acid producing gases is emitted by volcanoes. The acid rain forming gases is also generated by biological processes within the environment, wildfires and decaying vegetation. A typical example of a major biological contributor to sulphur containing elements into the atmosphere is dimethyl sulphide. Lighting strikes also naturally produces nitric oxides. It reacts with water molecules by electrical activity to produce nitric acid. This will form acid rain.

EFEECT:

1. Damages building and objects:

Acid rain can also have a damaging effect on many objects, including cars, monuments statues and buildings. Paint begins to peel of and stone statues to begin to appear old and worn down, which reduces their beauty and value because of the chemicals found in acid rain.

2. Effect on Soil:

Soil biology and chemistry is highly impacts by acid rain. Due to the effects of acid rain, biological activity and soil microbes as well as soil chemical compositions such as soil pH are damaged or reversed. For the continuity of biological activity, the soil needs to maintain an optimum pH level. Higher soil pH, which damages or reverses soil chemical and biological activities when acid rains seep into the soil. Hence, soil microorganisms that are sensitive that cannot adapt to changes in pH will be killed. enzymes for the soil microbes are denatured by high soil acidity. Nutrients and vital minerals such as magnesium and calcium are leach away by hydrogen ions of acid rain.

3. Harms forests:

Forests can be extremely harmed by acid rain. Acid rain that enters the ground can dissolve nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium that is need by tress to be healthy. Aluminium is being released into the soil which is caused by acid rain. This make it very difficult for the trees to take up water. Trees such as fir trees or spruce that are located in mountainous regions at higher elevations are at greater risk because they are exposed to acidic fog and clouds, which contain greater amounts of acid than rain or snow. important nutrients from their leaves and needles are strip by the acidic fog and clouds. This loss of nutrients makes it easier for infections, insects, and cold weather to damage trees and forests.

4. Public Health:

Nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide gases when in atmosphere, their particulate matter derivatives like nitrates and sulphates, degrades visibility. This can cause accidents, leading to injuries and deaths. Acid rain does not directly affect human health. This is because acid rain water is very dilute to cause serious health problems. However, also known as gaseous particulates in the air, the dry depositions which in this case are nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide can cause serious health problems when inhaled. lung and heart problems such as bronchitis and asthma can be caused by intensified level of acid deposition in dry form in the air.

WAYS TO OVERCOME:

1. Cleaning up exhaust pipes and smokestacks:

Major sources of the pollutants that cause acid rain are trucks and cars. Only one car doesn’t produce much pollution but all cars on the road added together create lots of pollution. Therefore, car manufacturers are required to reduce the amount of other pollutants and nitrogen oxides released by new cars. Catalytic converter is a type of technology used in cars. To reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides released by cars this piece of equipment has been used for over 20 years. Cleaner fuels, such as natural gas can also be used by new cars.

2. Use alternative energy sources:

There is a wide range of alternative energy sources, besides fossil fuels that can generate electrical power. These include nuclear power, hydropower, solar energy, geothermal energy, and wind energy. Instead of using fossil fuels, harnessing these energy sources can offer effective electrical power alternatives. Batteries, natural gas, and fuel cells also substitute use of fossil fuel as cleaner energy sources. All energy sources have economic costs and environmental as well as benefits, as of today. Using sustainable energy that can protect the future is the only solution.

3. Individuals:

By conserving energy, individuals can also help prevent acid rain. fewer chemicals power plants will emit if less electricity people use in their homes. Vehicles are also major fossil fuel users. By using public transportation, simply walking wherever possible, biking, or carpooling, drivers can reduce emissions.