The bleak downpour creates an abandoned feeling throughout the funeral description. The only other rain scene described in the book is during the lunch meeting between Gatsby and Daisy. This is a symbol for the inevitable abandonment of companionship between Daisy and Gatsby as is the funeral scene is a symbol for the abandonment of friendship between Gatsby and his partying acquaintances. Although this scene is Gatsby's funeral, the actual burial and service are not described. Most of the chapter is centered around the dreary rain and the strong sense of desertion.
Water is used several times to create certain moods and suggest ideas.
Rain at Daisy and Gatsby's reunion creates a feeling of despair and foretells the perilous fate of their relationship. The final hours of Gatsby's life are spent in his unused swimming pool. The endless flow of water and water ripples instill the thought of eternal life for Gatsby. The pure downpour during his funeral displays the abandonment and despair during his entire life. Colors and objects display the message of Fitzgerald, but water imagery is an equally essential tool in the development of the book's mood and theme.