Rain, Rain, Go Away

An illusion of perfection typifies this time period, when the US experienced an unprecedented economic and industrial boom, and though it wasn’t a frequent topic for Asimov, it does relate to his Humanist interests in the nature of people’s values and the question of what gives life meaning. Families in the 1950s were part of the Age of Television and the rise of national advertising that televised media and radio allowed. Families would have watched series like The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, and Leave It To Beaver that presented idealized families: Generally, the husband worked, the wife took care of the home, the children were well-behaved, and everyone made it look easy. Commercial breaks presented ads about the newest stovetop, automobile, or cola that would give people greater control over their lives.

“Rain, Rain, Go Away” demonstrates the influence of this context throughout the narrative. In the first scene, after “vanishing into the kitchen [...] Lillian came back into the living room with a patter of high heels” (128). This presents two key ideas about the role of the “perfect” wife in this setting: both that her place is in the kitchen, and that she should always look her best, wearing heels even if all she does is sit home and look at her neighbors through the venetian blinds.