Talking about the short story, Ernest Hemingway is one must for all readers. Ernest
Hemingway is one of the greatest 20th-century American writers who have a tremendous influence on the literature. His “iceberg” technique makes most of his stories meaningful and effective. “Cat in the Rain” is the one of the best.
A couple of American stays in an Italian hotel in a rainy day. The wife catches a sight of a poor cat crouching under a table from the rain outside. She wants to bring it in. However when she comes to the yard only finds the cat is missing. After returning to the room a maid sends her another cat.
Hemingway said:“There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that you show. Any thing you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg”. With the “iceberg” theory given by Hemingway, it reveals a fact that the design of every scene, character, plot, movement has its implicit meaning.
This short story reveals the unconscious struggle in the wife?s heart, which is between the pursuit of freedom and independence, and being conditioned with the traditional woman
situation. This notion is manifested by the feature of the characters, the conversations, and the reaction of the figure and so on. And the cats, which can be considered the main character, are the most impressive ones.
The wild cat couching under the table in the heavy rain symbols the freedom and independence which the wife chases subconsciously. In the opposite, the domestic cat, which is sent by the hotel keeper, represents the traditional woman social status or situation—being protected, submissive and tamed. At seeing the wild cat in the rain, a desire of possession arises in the wife?s heart, and even she herself can?t explain why she wants the cat so much. Such kind of desire reveals the pursuit of freedom and independence of the wife. However, Hemingway didn?t give a clear ending that whether the wife receive the domestic cat or not. In my point of view, because the wife doesn?t realize her inside feeling, her confusion, or rather conflict between freedom and tradition is showed quiet clearly.
Besides the cats, the theme disclosed by male figures, the husband and the hotel keeper in the story can be found through analyzing their attitude to the wife. Concerning the
conversations between the wife and the husband, the response of the husband, compared with his wife?s emotional and long dialogues, is shorter but stronger. Take the husband?s
reaction to the wife at the beginning, what he says is, “I?ll get it”, “Don?t get wet” or “shut up and get something to read”at the final. All of these dialogues are seemed more like an order than a suggestion.
As for the hotel keeper, every time the wife passing by him, a feeling of affection arises in the wife. Hemingway devoted several sentences to describe the reason why the wife likes the hotel keeper at the first time she passing. She likes the way he received complaints, his dignity,
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