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Cat in The Rain

The short story "Cat in the Rain" by Ernest Hemingway explores themes of loneliness, isolation, and emotional longing through symbolic elements. The American wife feels trapped and helpless in her loveless marriage, longing for affection, motherhood, and a sense of identity just as the cat trapped in the rain longs for shelter. The title and the wife's desire for a cat represent her own vulnerability and neediness. Though the couple live together, they remain isolated and disconnected from each other in their hotel room, highlighting the emptiness and lack of fulfillment in their relationship.

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Zain Saleh
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373 views3 pages

Cat in The Rain

The short story "Cat in the Rain" by Ernest Hemingway explores themes of loneliness, isolation, and emotional longing through symbolic elements. The American wife feels trapped and helpless in her loveless marriage, longing for affection, motherhood, and a sense of identity just as the cat trapped in the rain longs for shelter. The title and the wife's desire for a cat represent her own vulnerability and neediness. Though the couple live together, they remain isolated and disconnected from each other in their hotel room, highlighting the emptiness and lack of fulfillment in their relationship.

Uploaded by

Zain Saleh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cat in the Rain

 Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain" has a symbolic title that points to the
theme of unsatisfied emotional desire. First of all, the American couple
are isolated in their room facing the sea. Then, the husband is
disinterested in anything that goes on with the exception of the
newspaper he reads, perhaps, because he is incapable of satisfying his
wife's desires. For, in her longings for the kitten, that is an
anthropomorphic expression of her forlornness and need for attention
and love as indicated by the repetition of the word "want," which
denotes the emotional emptiness within her [want as a noun] and her
desire to hold and caress a loved one and be loved [want as a verb].

 The title of the story may also be symbolic. In many ways the cat that
the American wife sees underneath the table in the rain mirrors the
American wife herself. She too feels helpless throughout the story. She
too is as vulnerable as the cat in the rain reliant on her husband to
provide for her. If anything she is as trapped as the cat. Something that
is noticeable when she goes back to her hotel room and lists some
things that she would like – eat at a table with her own silver –
wanting candles – wanting a cat. All these things are very normal for
most people. However because the American wife appears to be living
out of hotel rooms she is unable to obtain any of these things. If
anything she may be as alone as the cat underneath the table. The fact
that we never learn the American wife’s name, yet we know her
husband’s name may also be important as by calling her either a wife
or a girl Hemingway manages to take away her identity. Just as the
reader never knows her name likewise the American wife never really
knows who she is till later in the story when she lists the things she
would like. Which in many ways goes to define or identify her.

"I wanted it so much...I don't know why I wanted it so much. I wanted that
poor kitty. It isn't any fun to be a poor kitty out in the rain....Anyway, I want
a cat....I want a cat. I want a cat now. If I can't have long hair or any fun, I
can have a cat."
The wife's response to the attention of the Italian innkeeper--"She liked the
way he wanted to serve her"--and her pleasure when he sends a woman out
with an umbrella certainly indicate her emotional desire for male
attention. And, her expression of her eagerness to grow out her hair and to
"eat at a table with my own silver" suggests the woman's desire for a
home. Further, her expression of longing for the kitten suggests her
feminine desire and her eagerness to fulfill her feminine role as a mother. If
she cannot have attention from her husband, then she can at least devote
her attentions to a baby.

 In Cat in the Rain by Ernest Hemingway we have the theme of


discontent, struggle, selfishness, helplessness, loneliness, conflict and
insecurity. Taken from his The Complete Short Stories collection the
story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and one
of the most interesting things about the story is how Hemingway
shifts from calling the wife, the American wife to then calling her the
girl. This shift from American wife to girl serves to highlight the
insecurity that the American wife feels. Possibly driven by her desire
to live a normal life rather than living out of a hotel. If anything
throughout the story the American wife remains discontent or
unhappy with her life. Something that is noticeable by her wanting so
many changes in her life

What is the symbolism in "Cat in the Rain" by Ernest Hemingway?


What is the importance of the setting in Ernest Hemingway's "Cat In
the Rain"?
What is the significance of the rain in "Cat in the Rain"?
What is the message behind the short story "Cat in the Rain" by Ernest
Hemingway?
What kind of feeling and desires is the wife really expressing towards
the end of the story?
Describe the character of the husband as fully as you can. What is the
significance of the rain in the story?
How is the use of irony present in "Cat in the Rain"?
Explain how George and the hotel keeper are different in terms of their
character and actions in "Cat in the Rain."
When Hemingway wrote Cat In The Rain, it was about this time
that he was having marriage difficulties with his first wife, although
he denied this rumor.

What are some of the conflicts in the story?


What are some of the themes in the story?
What are some of the symbols in the story?
Identify one example of how Hemingway used imagery.
Did you get the impression that the man and the wife were happy?
Explain why or why not.
Can you relate this story to Hemingway’s personal life? How?

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