A lot of the Ernest Hemingway stories we have read have been about a couple. It is always an American couple and there are usually somewhere other than America. I suppose that this is familiar to Hemingway since he did go through more than one wife.
I think "Cat in the Rain" has an air of loneliness. It opens with a description of the hotel and makes the distinction that this man and woman are the only two Americans in the hotel. Then, Hemingway adds a sentence that I think truly sets up the lonely, isolated scene: "They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs on their way to and from their room." This couple is alone. They only have each other for companionship. This may not be a bad thing, but the wife's dialogue indicates that she wants more than she is getting. She seems discontent. The way that she stares at herself in the mirror and analyzes her appearance tells me that she is seeking attention. Also, it seems that she is seeking substance. She wants to grow her hair out for two reasons: 1, so she doesn't look like a boy anymore and 2, so she can "make a big knot at the back that [she] can feel." Her current haircut is not substantial enough for her. She goes on to say she wants a cat that will "sit on [her] lap and purr." She seeks attention and love. She wants something that is small and can sit with her and love her for everything she does.
It's possible that what she is also seeking is motherhood. The couple seems to be childless-like many of Hemingway's other couples. In that case, the wife's hairstyle making her look like a boy would be more distressing to her. It's possible that she wants longer hair and a bun because she considers those to be more matronly styles. The cat could be a substitution for a baby. She also says she wants to sit "at a table with [her] own silver." This indicates a want for a more settled lifestyle. I think she is tired of traveling and being in strange places and hotels. She feels it's time to go home again.
Even though the wife seems discontent, this couple appears to have a better relationship than the others we have read about. Although the husband does tell her to shut up once, he spends the rest of the story paying attention to her and trying to be good to her. He offers to go get the cat for her. When she speaks, he doesn't take his eyes off of her. When she comments on her haircut, he tells her that she looks "darn nice" and disagrees that she needs to grow it out. He pays attention to her until she starts to go on about what she wants, particularly the cat. The two seem to want different lifestyles. I think George is fine with living in different hotels, while the wife wants a home.
I think that Hemingway's use of names is interesting. Although the wife does the majority of the talking and action, she is only named as "the American wife." Her husband, however, gets to be named. Why is this?
When I was reading the story I definitely caught onto her need for attention, but I never thought of connecting the cat to maternity. It is an interesting idea that in addition to settled life, she wants to be a mother. Several time she is referred to as a girl. Maybe this is just part of her maturing while her husband doesn't want to or has already passed that stage (reading). Either way, maybe the husband is named because Hemingway wants to draw more attention to him and the attention he pays his wife where as otherwise the story would be completely about the girl. He wants her relationship with her husband, and his with her to take a stronger role.
ReplyDelete