The theme of loneliness in ‘Cat in the rain’ by Ernest Hemingway

The theme of loneliness in ‘Cat in the rain’  by Ernest Hemingway. 

The action of the short story ‘Cat in the rain’, written by Ernest Hemingway, takes place in Italy, in a hotel. In the very beginning of the narration we can see a long description of the setting of the story. The author draws a picture of a southern town, with a view of the sea, of the public garden with the palms which are being dripped on by the rain. To intensify the impression Hemingway uses numerous repetitions in the descriptions: ‘It also faced the public garden and war monument… There were big palms and green benches in the public garden... Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war monument… The motor cars were gone from the square by the war monument.’

Then the author introduces the characters of the story. This is a couple of Americans who stayed in the hotel. They are obviously well-educated people, belonging to upper-middle class. There are very few Americanisms in their speech.

The action itself begins when the wife, looking out of the window, sees a cat ‘trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on’.

She immediately says that she wants this cat and decides to go and get it.

But why did Hemingway choose a cat as a symbol which makes the plot develop? There is some background. The writer had passion for cats. They played a really important role in his life. Almost sixty cats lived in his house. Contemporaries said that he had a kind of a bond between him and his pets – they always understood and obeyed him.  
 

And in this story a kitty is a very important symbol – a symbol of loneliness of the woman. She is married, she travels with her husband but she is still lonely. She doesn’t feel the support of her husband, he just does not pay attention to her problems. ‘I wanted it so much,’ she said. ‘I don’t know why I wanted it so much. I wanted that poor kitty. It isn’t any fun to be a poor kitty out in the rain.’

George was reading again.’

While the wife is complaining about her life, the husband is plunged into reading and is not listening to her. She asks him, ‘Don’t you think it would be a good idea if I let my hair grow out?’. She wants to change her life. Some small points she is talking about just seem to be unimportant. But actually they are the parts of life she would like to have – whether it’s long hair or her own silver and candles which are the symbols of home. ‘And I want to eat at a table with my own silver and I want candles. And I want it to be spring and I want to brush my hair out in front of a mirror and I want a kitty and I want some new clothes.’ She is dreaming about a cozy home – a cat, sitting on her lap and purring is also a common symbol of home, family and hearth. But her husband just do not care about her wishes and is not interest in listening to her speech.

The young woman wants to be loved, she wants her husband to take care of her, she needs his attention. But what does she get instead? ‘Oh, shut up and get something to read,’ George said. He was reading again.’

Not having a possibility to get all that she wants, all that she needs to feel better, she wants to get at least a cat. ‘If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat.’ 

The young woman is completely alone. That’s why an attention which shows to her the hotel owner is really important for her. ‘The padrone made her feel very small and at the same time really important. She had a momentary feeling of being of supreme importance.’  

The story, which tells about a short episode from the life of the woman who feels absolutely lonely, stops abruptly at the moment of climax – the door of the room opens and the maid with a kitty in her hands comes in, saying, ‘The padrone asked me to bring this for the Signora.’

What happened then? We can only guess. This story is an example of famous Hemingway’s “iceberg”  – he shows to his readers only a smaller part of it, giving full play to our imagination. The author opens the door with the help of the maid – and we can come in.