Feline Companionship in Cat in the Rain Essay -- Cat in the Rain Essay

Feline Companionship in Cat in the Rain   I chose to write about Hemingways Cat in the Rain in fictional character because it is one of the few of his stories I have read which has an ending. There is a specific event at the end of the story which wraps up the storys events and gives the reader a sense of finality not found in most of Hemingways short works. Written in his characteristic sparse style, Cat in the Rain is on the face of it simple in plot and character, but a careful reading reveals deeper meaning behind its elements. The Ameri back tooth wifes quest to save a kitty from the move rain becomes a more complex statement about her frustration and her isolation from human comforts. I think the portrayal of the wife captures these feelings which many women can recognize.   In the first paragraph, the theme of isolation is introduced, as the author tells about the American couple on foreign soil with no friends or acquaintances. He also describes the beautiful park below the window and the many people who come to enjoy it, only to add that it is now rain down and the wife may only look out the window and dream. The wife soon sees the poor cat, getting drenched in the rain and feels sympathy for it. Her reading husband is listless to her discovery, except to volunteer half-heartedly to get the cat (most likely to keep her from complaining). The woman can not seem to connect with her husband, who treats her almost like an gravel child, as much as with the pathetic cat outside.   As she ventures out of the room to rescue the cat, she first passes the hotel-keeper in his office. In a series of tally phrases, the author describes the hotel-keeper, or padrone, and what the woman likes about him. This passage sho... ...he husbands complacency about his wife and her desire for respect, admiration, and emotional fulfillment. A related but more lay contrast is between the husband and the padrone, who represent the status quo and the desires of the wife, respectively.   In the final few paragraphs, Hemingway mentions that it is getting dark outside, and later that it was quite dark and still raining in the palm trees (170). Then, just before the maid comes to the door with the cat, a light comes on in the square. The amount of light seems to correlate with the hopes of the wife and the come up she has to change her situation. The light near the end is a signal for the arrival of the cat, a gift from the hotel-keeper. The reader is left to wonder whether the woman will take more respect from her husband now that she has experienced a feeling of importance and self-worth.