Cat In The Rain

1490 Words6 Pages
"Cat in the rain", a short story written by Ernest Hemingway, comes across to the majority of readers as an extract of a novel rather than the full story itself. It falls into the genre of "prose fiction" quite simply. The story has a deeper meaning than meets the eye at first glance. "Cat in the rain" is based solely on a young American couple staying in an Italian hotel. The main aspect of the story, as the title portrays, is about a cat in the rain. It is set in the 1920s, after the time of World War One. At first sight, "Cat in the rain" has a fairly simple plot, but delving deeper into the story's core reveals the actual meaning. The main plot is about a young American wife, who has purposefully been left unidentified by name, and her American husband George, who have both gone to Italy to stay in a hotel. It begins with the American wife looking out of the window of her hotel room and seeing a small cat in the rain, hiding under a table. The American wife decides to go down to get the cat: "I'm going down and get that kitty". She is rather disappointed when she finds that the cat is no longer there when she goes outside. As she goes back into her hotel room, she has a brief 'conversation' with her husband, and then the maid brings up a different cat for the American wife. The plot, as previously stated, is rather simple, until you investigate the true meaning of the story. For example, the reason why the American wife is not recognised by name could be that this shows George, her husband, is identified as the dominant one in their marriage, whereas the American wife is more the submissive. When she complains about not wanting to look like a boy, George simply pushes the matter aside: " 'Don't you think it would be a good idea if I let my hair grow out?' 'I like it the way it is.' 'I get so tired of it. I get so tired of looking like a boy...' " With the
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