Cat in the Rain- Critique and Summary

Cat in the Rain – Critique/Summary

Summary:

The story “Cat in the Rain” written by Ernest Hemingway is about a couple that stay in Italy. The woman in the story sees a cat abandoned outside in the rain under a table and wants to get him and bring him into her hotel room. When she finally convinces her husband to let her go out and get him, it is gone. She returns to the room with out a cat and her husband is still propped up on a pillow reading his book. He insists she lay down and read a book, when she starts talking about how much she wants a cat, how she wants it to be sitting in her lap as she brushes her hair. A short while later one of the hotel workers who helped her try to find the cat the first time had discovered his presence and bought him to her.

Critique:

The story “Cat in the Rain” talks about a cat stuck outside in the rain, but I don’t think that this is what Hemingway meant when he wrote this story. I like how Hemingway started the story off with describing the setting, where the two Americans were and how they were the only ones stopping in to this particular hotel. It gives the reader something to picture right off the bat. I think that Hemingway could have described the characters in more detail to get a better understanding of them. Also I think the in-depth description of the hotel wasn’t necessary I would of liked to see the description put in to the characters more. I really liked the way Hemingway’s character the American Woman acted because it felt very real to something in real life. The way Hemingway portrayed the woman at first was more along the lines of a nagging wife, but when she goes to the window to see the cat her persona changes, I liked this because it made me get into her head and see how she was feeling Hemingway started in a unique way because I very rarely see a story start like this, and he pulled it off very well. The description of the location and setting pulled me right into the story, I liked this because it kept me interested and wanting to keep reading. I think the title that was given to the wife as the “American Wife” lacks individuality and has no special meaning, signifying that she is just a mere American Woman and nothing else. I think that the title Hemingway chose was to portray that the wife felt that she was condoned to George her husband and that he never really paid much attention to her. This lack of attention makes her feel that she does not have much freedom to express herself and keeps much of her feelings inside. 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.