In the second stanza, the tension is built further by the poet by immediately asking a question; 'Where have the people gone?' This question adds to the danger and suspense already built by the first stanza and adds a sense of fear and solitude. The line following the question 'There is one light on the mountain.' almost answers the questions before it but in a way that only increases the fear and solitude by the fact that there is only one light as opposed to many welcoming lights. Structurally, the length of this stanza makes it stand out from the rest as it is only two lines long. This empathises the fear of the question and the solitude that the poet is trying to convey.
In the third stanza, the storm is being described to be growing and building, ready to burst at any second; Along the sea wall, a steady sloshing of the swell, The waves not yet high, but even, Coming closer and closer upon each other.' The technique of sibilance is used again here, again adding the the effect of the storm building and rising. The suspense is becoming ever greater as this stanza goes on, the poet describes the waves as not yet being high, but implies that they soon will be. The lack of obvious structure in this stanza, and throughout the entire poem, possibly emphasises the confusion and unpredictability that the storm brings; this is portrayed through enjambment. The metaphor of 'A fine fume of rain driving in from the sea.' is complimented by the use of yet more alliteration. The word fume also presents the rain in a very ominous light as it usually implies a poisonous cloud of gas or vapour. The poet continues by saying the fume riddles the sand like a wide spray of buckshot; this is effective by using a simile to present the dangerousness of the storm by likening it to a shotgun. Pathetic fallacy is also used when the poet describes the wind from the mountain and from the sea to be 'contending.' This implies that the storm is almost battling with itself, continually adding to the growing sense of the ominously growing storm.
In the fourth stanza, the storm begins to erupt. The first line of 'A time to go home!' acts as the spark for the storm to finally burst. The use of an exclamation mark highlights this. The line 'A cat runs from the wind as we do.' portrays how they are trying to escape from the might of the storm. 'Where the heavy door unlocks, and our breath comes more easily.' describes how they try to barricade themselves in from the storm and how they can breathe more freely; without fear. Pathetic fallacy is used again in the line 'Then a crack of thunder, and the black rain runs over us.' presenting the storm as cruel and unforgiving as almost like the crack of a whip. The rain is also characterised negatively as it is described as black, a negative colour. The use of personification is also used to effect when describing the cruel nature of the storm 'beating The walls, the slatted windows, driving the last watcher indoors.' The storm is almost compared to a slave driver.
The fifth stanza immediately evokes a sense of pathos through the use of personal pronouns; 'We creep to our bed, and its straw mattress.' This line is also effective in that it uses the word 'creep,' implying that they have to hide from the storm and make sure it takes no notice of them. Also, the fact that the mattress is straw emphasises their vulnerability to the storm as straw has little substance with which to provide shelter. The storm is continually characterised as unpredictable and dangerous as it 'lulls off, then redoubles.' The sheer power of the storm is portrayed through the line, 'Bending the trees half-way down to the ground.' Trees are usually sturdy and defiant, but the fact that the storm has the capability to bend them shows how destructive it is.
Throughout the poem, the storm is given a widely destructive and powerful characterisation. Roethke builds the tension from the start of the poem by realistically building the storm and then letting it lose to create havoc. The power of the storm is evident throughout, using the theme of men vs nature in the form of a storm.
