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In fact, the American wife does not need something to read, she needs something to feel. Besides, all these things taken together indicate her desire of "motherhood"4, having an own "home"4 and her feminity. On other words her desire of long hair demonstrates that she feels unwomanly , like a boy with her short hair, which emphasizes her weakness and lack of feminity.
The other symbolic character is the hotel-keeper. He has provided both symbolic and literal cats from the rain. He is the only man up to now who responded to her needs rather than her husband. Moreover, he is the only one who causes her "momentary feeling of being of supreme importance" (l.51). She admires " the way he wanted to serve her" (l.27). This great attraction to him is underlined by the repetitions of the verb "she liked". It demonstrates the great contrast between the husband and the hotel-keeper. This rift is more obvious at the end of the story when the hotel owner send the maid to bring a cat to the American wife. He has provided her with the attention that she is …show more content…
In brief, the lack of attention is filled at least emotionally by the owner of the hotel but it is also suggested that she will be satisfied sexually . And this fullness is here symbolised by the intermediary of the cat.
In conclusion, Hemingway's use of symbolism is a great contribution to the richness of his characters. It allows the reader to better understand the psychological experiences of the characters with their entourage. Without this symbolic images, for instance in this text the cat, the story would lose much of both their colour and clarity. Moreover, Ernest Hemingway has succeeded very well in this story in showing that individualism of the people living with their own problem is in many case the cause of split and despair.
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[1]All further references are to this edition : Ernest Hemingway, "Cat in the Rain" . The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, ed. Jackson J. Berson (Dwham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1975).
[2] John V. Hagopian, "Symmetry in 'Cat in the Rain'", College English, XXIV (December
The other symbolic character is the hotel-keeper. He has provided both symbolic and literal cats from the rain. He is the only man up to now who responded to her needs rather than her husband. Moreover, he is the only one who causes her "momentary feeling of being of supreme importance" (l.51). She admires " the way he wanted to serve her" (l.27). This great attraction to him is underlined by the repetitions of the verb "she liked". It demonstrates the great contrast between the husband and the hotel-keeper. This rift is more obvious at the end of the story when the hotel owner send the maid to bring a cat to the American wife. He has provided her with the attention that she is …show more content…
In brief, the lack of attention is filled at least emotionally by the owner of the hotel but it is also suggested that she will be satisfied sexually . And this fullness is here symbolised by the intermediary of the cat.
In conclusion, Hemingway's use of symbolism is a great contribution to the richness of his characters. It allows the reader to better understand the psychological experiences of the characters with their entourage. Without this symbolic images, for instance in this text the cat, the story would lose much of both their colour and clarity. Moreover, Ernest Hemingway has succeeded very well in this story in showing that individualism of the people living with their own problem is in many case the cause of split and despair.
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[1]All further references are to this edition : Ernest Hemingway, "Cat in the Rain" . The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, ed. Jackson J. Berson (Dwham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1975).
[2] John V. Hagopian, "Symmetry in 'Cat in the Rain'", College English, XXIV (December