Cat in the Rain by Ernest Hemingway

Cat in the Rain      

Summary

Only two Americans are in the hotel. Their room faces the sea, a public garden, and a war monument. Many Italians come from far away to see the monument. That day, it is raining, and the American wife is looking out the window. She sees a cat under a table that is trying to keep dry. She tells her husband that she is going to get it. He tells her not to get wet. Downstairs, she is greeted by the hotel operator, whose seriousness and willingness to please she adores. When she goes outside, he sends a maid after her with an umbrella. She does not find the cat. She goes back upstairs feeling sad. She asks her husband if she should grow her hair out. He says that he likes it the way that it is. She decides that she wants a bun at the back of her neck, and a cat to stroke, and a table with her own silver, and some new clothing. He tells her to shut up and to find a book to read. She says that she still wants a cat. Just then, someone knocks at the door. It is the maid. She has brought up a cat, at the request of the hotel operator.

Commentary

The American wife expresses a desire for many things in this story. She tells her husband that if she cannot have any fun, then she might as well have things that she wants. In other words, this desire for material goods comes from an inability to acquire intangible goods such as fun and affection. This lack of intimacy is not entirely her husband's fault, of course. She also ignores his compliments.

This American way, desiring material objects and becoming bored, is contrasted with an Italian way of vacationing. The Italians arrive in the same location to see the war memorial and honor the war dead. They are more involved in the ideas of the place than in owning things from it. In addition, it is a more communal way of living, to honor the sacrifices of others, rather than to stay inside and read.

The True Meaning of Cat in the Rain by Ernest Hemingway

The Rain and the Cage

Hemingway's title to his story, "Cat in the Rain" carries more meaning than the literal cat in the rain. Indeed, the story talks about a cat stuck in the rain; however, this is not what Hemingway meant when he wrote the story. His character, the American Wife, alludes to the title of the story by presenting elements of confinement similar to that of the cat.

We are first introduced to George and his wife, the latter is referred by as the "American Wife" in the first sentence of the story. This title lacks individuality and has no special meaning, signifying that she is just a mere American Woman and nothing else. This already confines the character in a little cage, since it implies that she will never get herself out of the hole where society has placed her. George does not help much, rarely paying attention to her whenever she demands his care. This is evident when she sees "a cat...crouched under one of the dripping green tables" , and points it out to her husband, who offers to help from his bed. Two points can be inferred from this event: first, George discards all the trivial things the wife says and does not provide her with any attention, making her feel that she must demand it. This lack of attention makes her feel that she does not have much freedom to express herself and keeps much of her feelings inside. Second and most importantly, she seems to connect with the cat, "the cat was trying to make herself so compact so that she would not be dripped on.". She definitely feels the restraint that George has put on her, and in order to please him, she attempts to make herself compact just like the cat.

The wife never speaks out about the restraint George puts on her, but rather feels it. The main reason behind this is her transformation from being the "American Wife" to the "American Girl. To the general public, a girl seems to have less restraints due to her youth and innocence, while a wife has her (and her husband's) image to protect. Hemingway's choice of words implies that she feels the restraints being lifted once she left her hotel room, leaving her husband behind. Hemingway provides other evidence for George's restraints by presenting the hotel keeper, whom the wife has a liking for. Described as an "old man and very tall", the wife has a liking for him, especially his many qualities such as "the deadly serious way he received any complaints...his dignity...the way he wanted to serve her." Hemingway never says anything about the wife loving or liking George, further supporting the idea of him putting some sort of restraint on her.

It seems that Hemingway's main contrast in explaining his point is by comparing the wife with the cat. Both are in similar situations where they are kept from being free. One is restrained by the rain while the other one is being restrained by her husband. They both long to be rescued and long to break out of those cages that keep them from enjoying life. Perhaps she saw herself in the cat who "was trying to keep dry under the table." By going through such weather to rescue the kitty, she doesn't show determination, but rather a sense of hope that she herself may be rescued from her own cage. Unfortunately for her, the cat was gone. This turn of events shattered her hope, making her feel "very small and tight inside" (79). Indeed, she still feels confined to the cage George placed her in, and does not see a way out of there. Hemingway presents us with more evidence that it is George that places such limits on her. When she walks by the padrone, he made her feel "very small and at the same time really important. She had a momentary feeling of being of supreme importance." It is crucial to take note of this, since it is the only time in the story where she has any feeling of superiority. She has a sense of confidence that is absent whenever George is present.

During the last part of the story, Hemingway presents the lack of freedom that the wife has. She asks George if "it would be a good idea if [she] lets [her] hair grow out?" George merely responds by saying "you look pretty darn nice." She does not try to argue about it, further implying that she feels inferior, and George has control over her. While she does not explicitly state it, she feels that her lack of freedom is keeping her from being happy. She proceeds to go on a little rant about how she wants to have her own things, "I want to pull my hair back tight and smooth and make a big know at the back I can feel... I want to have a kitty... I want to eat at a table with my own silver and I want candles." Perhaps George does not want to give her that freedom because he wants to exert his role as the head of the house. Keep in mind that this story was written in a time where women were considered nothing if they were not married. And even in their marriage, many women were not exactly considered part of society simply because they are women.

"The Cat in the Rain" fits perfectly with the story. It symbolizes a cat that wants to be free, one that wants to go out and seek the world. Unfortunately, something is holding it back, something out of its control. Hemingway chose this title to reflect how the wife must feel about not being able to control her own life. She is just like the cat in the rain, a radical and passionate being unable to take a chance because society has placed a restraint on her.