Analysis of Cat in the Rain by Ernest Hemmingway

Cat in the rain by Ernest Hemmingway

Cat in the rain by Ernest Hemmingway is a short and powerful story about the isolated life of a woman, it gives the reader an insight into a social era when woman’s rights were not very respected like in today’s modern society and when many women were not considered to be a part of society. With the writers use of imagery this short story illuminates much deeper meanings to the readers. What appears to be a simple story about a couple spending a rainy afternoon in their hotel room acts as a metaphor for their unhappy marriage.  
In the first paragraph the theme of isolation is introduced by the author writing about how the couple do not know anybody else staying in the hotel. The atmosphere is very monotonous and Hemmingway creates a dark, cold bleak atmosphere and with a long description of the rainy dreary weather. Hemmingway uses words such as "empty", which imply loneliness and reflect the wife’s mood and depression.   The author describes how in good weather the colours of the sea, palm trees and hotel are bright and beautiful, showing the reader how other people staying at the hotel are having a lovely time on holiday, and in contrast how miserable the woman is on her holiday.
The wife notices a cat who is hiding under a table, trying to avoid getting wet. She suddenly becomes obsessed with the idea of saving this cat. I think the cat represents the wife’s situation and how imprisoned she feels, both the cat and the woman both find themselves trapped. The cat is restrained by the rain while the woman is being restrained by her husband. They both want to be rescued and escape from what is depriving them of their happiness and freedom.
The wife seems so desperate to look after the cat. “I want to have a kitty to sit on my lap and purr when I stroke her.” This dialogue shows the feeling of love and kindness the wife is so desperate for from her husband that she hopes to gain in the cat. I think that as well as the cat...