--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It begins to rain. The first harsh…" description: "\"“It begins to rain. The first harsh, sparse, swift drops rush through the leaves and across the ground in a long sigh, as though of relief from intoler..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/william-faulkner-306_lantern_it-begins-to-rain-the-first-harsh-sparse_1440703.png" --- # It begins to rain. The first harsh, sparse, swift drops… ![“It begins to rain. The first harsh, sparse, swift drops rush through the leaves and across the ground in a long sigh, as though of relief from intolerable suspense. They are big as buckshot, warm as though fired from a gun; they sweep across the lantern in a vicious hissing. Pa lifts his face…” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/william-faulkner-306_lantern_it-begins-to-rain-the-first-harsh-sparse_1440703.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/william-faulkner-306_lantern_it-begins-to-rain-the-first-harsh-sparse_1440703.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/william-faulkner-306_lantern_it-begins-to-rain-the-first-harsh-sparse_1440703.png) > ““It begins to rain. The first harsh, sparse, swift drops rush through the leaves and across the ground in a long sigh, as though of relief from intolerable suspense. They are big as buckshot, warm as though fired from a gun; they sweep across the lantern in a vicious hissing. Pa lifts his face, slackmouthed, the wet black rim of snuff plastered close along the base of his gums; from behind his slack-faced astonishment he 'muses as though from beyond time, upon the ultimate outrage. Cash looks once at the sky, then at the lantern. The saw has not faltered, the running gleam of its pistoning edge unbroken. "Get something to cover the lantern," he says.”” [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sudden rain brings relief and reveals hidden tensions, prompting urgent action. **In simple terms:** Rain symbolizes relief and urgency. Key Takeaway Act quickly when relief appears. Themes nature relief urgency conflict Mood tense hopeful Type literary dramatic When to use this quote - emergency response - creative writing - stress management Key Concepts symbolism human tension Questions to Reflect On - What does the rain represent in your life? - How do you respond to sudden relief? A Different Perspective Rain may be temporary; underlying problems persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begins Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begins-rain-1713968/) [Lantern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lantern/) [Lantern Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lantern-saw-5154705/) [Lantern Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lantern-says-5154703/) [Lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain/) [Rain Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain-harsh-5154704/) [Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saw/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) ## Related quotes > [That, sir, which serves and seeks for gain, And follows but for form, Will pack, when it begins to rain, And leave thee in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/that-sir-which-serves-and-seeks-for-gain-and-follows-but-for-form/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A little town is like a lantern. Nothing's hid from sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/a-little-town-is-like-a-lantern-nothing-s-hid-from-sight/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [“You need only light your lantern to dispel the fears of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-bax/you-need-only-light-your-lantern-to-dispel-the-fears-of-the-night/) [Timothy Bax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-bax/) > [I want to play the Green Lantern. I'd love to do a comic book hero. Go to the gym, get all buff, puff up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-settle/i-want-to-play-the-green-lantern-i-d-love-to-do-a-comic-book-hero-go/) [Matthew Settle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-settle/) > [I have spent many hours on the beach collecting sea glass, and I almost always wonder, as I bend to pick up chunk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/i-have-spent-many-hours-on-the-beach-collecting-sea-glass-and-i/) [Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/) > [“People are in the dark, they don't know what to do I had a little lantern, oh but it got blown out too. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-brown/people-are-in-the-dark-they-don-t-know-what-to-do-i-had-a-little/) [Greg Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-brown/) > [There's a famous tension between Green Lantern and Green Arrow in the comic books. Those guys have always been friends. They started off as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/there-s-a-famous-tension-between-green-lantern-and-green-arrow-in-the/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [I really explored self-awareness and emotions through 'Green Lantern.' It might sound goofy, but I do believe that emotions have power. We're all driven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/i-really-explored-self-awareness-and-emotions-through-green-lantern/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [The word of the Lord is the Lantern to my Feet and the light to my Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-word-of-the-lord-is-the-lantern-to-my-feet-and-the-light-to-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm really proud of all the stuff we've built with Green Lantern - from Larfleeze to the different corps. The universe has expanded and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/i-m-really-proud-of-all-the-stuff-we-ve-built-with-green-lantern-from/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichiren/if-you-light-a-lantern-for-another-it-will-also-brighten-your-own-way/) [Nichiren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichiren/) > [“I am a lantern, I glow bright I break for day, and wait for night Without me you’d be blind You take me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-hutchinson/i-am-a-lantern-i-glow-bright-i-break-for-day-and-wait-for-night/) [Carlos Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-hutchinson/) > [“Do you see this lantern? cried Syme in a terrible voice.'Do you see the cross carved on it, and the flame inside? You did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/do-you-see-this-lantern-cried-syme-in-a-terrible-voice-do-you-see-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“when the darkness is close to us it is a friend. But when we sorter push it away from us—divorce ourselves from it, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/when-the-darkness-is-close-to-us-it-is-a-friend-but-when-we-sorter/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“Dearest, the dark will take a long span. Get a lantern or torch ready in hand To lighten the right path so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siwakarn-patoommasoot/dearest-the-dark-will-take-a-long-span-get-a-lantern-or-torch-ready/) [Siwakarn Patoommasoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siwakarn-patoommasoot/) ## More by William Faulkner > [“The river itself is not a hundred yards across, and pa and Vernon and Vardaman and Dewey Dell are the only things in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-river-itself-is-not-a-hundred-yards-across-and-pa-and-vernon-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The quality an artist must have is objectivity in judging his work, plus the honesty and courage not to kid himself about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-quality-an-artist-must-have-is-objectivity-in-judging-his-work/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Luster returned, wearing a stiff new straw hat with a colored band and carrying a cloth cap. 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He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-believe-that-man-will-not-merely-endure-he-will-prevail-he-is/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/never-be-afraid-to-raise-your-voice-for-honesty-and-truth-and/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/to-understand-the-world-you-must-first-understand-a-place-like/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“What modren ideas?” pap said. “I didn’t know there was but one idea about work—until it is done, it ain’t done, and when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-modren-ideas-pap-said-i-didn-t-know-there-was-but-one-idea-about/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was only as he put his hand on the door that he became aware of complete silence beyond it, a silence which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-only-as-he-put-his-hand-on-the-door-that-he-became-aware-of/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“She has no mother because fatherblood hates with love and pride, but motherblood with hate loves and cohabits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/she-has-no-mother-because-fatherblood-hates-with-love-and-pride-but/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Byron listened quietly, thinking to himself how people everywhere are about the same, but that it did seem that in a small town, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/byron-listened-quietly-thinking-to-himself-how-people-everywhere-are/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“It was too late. Maybe yesterday, while I was still a child, but not now. I knew too much, had seen too much, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-too-late-maybe-yesterday-while-i-was-still-a-child-but-not-now/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) [Explore all 673 William Faulkner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More Lantern quotes > [“Dearest, the dark will take a long span. Get a lantern or torch ready in hand To lighten the right path so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siwakarn-patoommasoot/dearest-the-dark-will-take-a-long-span-get-a-lantern-or-torch-ready/) [Siwakarn Patoommasoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siwakarn-patoommasoot/) > [“when the darkness is close to us it is a friend. But when we sorter push it away from us—divorce ourselves from it, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/when-the-darkness-is-close-to-us-it-is-a-friend-but-when-we-sorter/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [“Do you see this lantern? cried Syme in a terrible voice.'Do you see the cross carved on it, and the flame inside? You did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/do-you-see-this-lantern-cried-syme-in-a-terrible-voice-do-you-see-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“I am a lantern, I glow bright I break for day, and wait for night Without me you’d be blind You take me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-hutchinson/i-am-a-lantern-i-glow-bright-i-break-for-day-and-wait-for-night/) [Carlos Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-hutchinson/) > [If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichiren/if-you-light-a-lantern-for-another-it-will-also-brighten-your-own-way/) [Nichiren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichiren/) > [I'm really proud of all the stuff we've built with Green Lantern - from Larfleeze to the different corps. The universe has expanded and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/i-m-really-proud-of-all-the-stuff-we-ve-built-with-green-lantern-from/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [The word of the Lord is the Lantern to my Feet and the light to my Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-word-of-the-lord-is-the-lantern-to-my-feet-and-the-light-to-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I really explored self-awareness and emotions through 'Green Lantern.' It might sound goofy, but I do believe that emotions have power. We're all driven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/i-really-explored-self-awareness-and-emotions-through-green-lantern/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [There's a famous tension between Green Lantern and Green Arrow in the comic books. Those guys have always been friends. They started off as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/there-s-a-famous-tension-between-green-lantern-and-green-arrow-in-the/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [“People are in the dark, they don't know what to do I had a little lantern, oh but it got blown out too. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-brown/people-are-in-the-dark-they-don-t-know-what-to-do-i-had-a-little/) [Greg Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-brown/) > [I have spent many hours on the beach collecting sea glass, and I almost always wonder, as I bend to pick up chunk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/i-have-spent-many-hours-on-the-beach-collecting-sea-glass-and-i/) [Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/) > [I want to play the Green Lantern. I'd love to do a comic book hero. Go to the gym, get all buff, puff up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-settle/i-want-to-play-the-green-lantern-i-d-love-to-do-a-comic-book-hero-go/) [Matthew Settle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-settle/) > [“You need only light your lantern to dispel the fears of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-bax/you-need-only-light-your-lantern-to-dispel-the-fears-of-the-night/) [Timothy Bax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-bax/) > [A little town is like a lantern. Nothing's hid from sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-field/a-little-town-is-like-a-lantern-nothing-s-hid-from-sight/) [Rachel Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-field/) > [They enter, locking themselves in, descend the rugged steps, and are down in the Crypt. The lantern is not wanted, for the moonlight strikes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/they-enter-locking-themselves-in-descend-the-rugged-steps-and-are/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) [Browse all 63 Lantern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lantern/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It begins to rain. The first harsh, sparse, swift drops rush through the leaves and across the ground in a long sigh, as though of relief from intolerable suspense. They are big as buckshot, warm as though fired from a gun; they sweep across the lantern in a vicious hissing. Pa lifts his face, slackmouthed, the wet black rim of snuff plastered close along the base of his gums; from behind his slack-faced astonishment he 'muses as though from beyond time, upon the ultimate outrage. Cash looks once at the sky, then at the lantern. 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