Annaysis of Ernst Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain"
...n the stairs on their way to and from their room.” (Hemingway 408). The Italian atmosphere with the American guests in it gives definite volume to the setting. Ernest Hemingway also uses his writing style in “Cat in the Rain” to aid the reader in understanding and interpreting the short story. The point of view Hemingway tells “Cat in the Rain” from is very sexist. “Zelda Fitzgerald said, he ‘disliked women heartily—except for sex.’” (Hemingway’s Short Fiction and the Crisis of Middle-class Masculinity). Hemingway displays his sexist attitude in the short story when the man, George, compliments the woman saying, “You look pretty darn nice,” (Hemingway 409), then in his next breath degrades her by telling her to “shut up and get something to read.” (Hemingway 409). Hemingway’s opposition to women is one of his notorious traits. Hemingway is also known to use little description in his works but rely confidently in the dialogue. In “Cat in the Rain” Hemingway balances both description and dialogue beautifully. When describing the woman finding the cat, Hemingway writes: The American wife stood at the window looking out. Outside right under their window a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green tables. The cat was trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on. ‘I’m going down to get that kitty,’ the American wife said. ‘I’ll so it,’ her husband offered from the bed. ‘No, I’ll get it. The poor kitty out trying to keep dry under a table.’ Hemingway uses his description to give the reader a visual image and he also uses dialogue to add to he image. Hemingway also uses tone in his writing style. The attitudes of the characters help set the tone. The short replies from George in the dialogue give the reader the feeling that George isn’t very respectful of his wife’s thoughts and feelings. George reply’s to his wife’s comments with rude remarks such as “Oh, shut up,” (Hemingway 409). This projects to the reader a lack of closeness between the two. Hemingway uses the characters in his short story “Cat in the Rain” to help the reader appreciate his works. The wife in the story is extremely air-headed. “Hemingway was never able to create a woman character who was not fawning, passive and abjectly submissive to the male hero. His young, nubile women are always on the lookout for a red-blooded man to give their lives some meaning.” (Hemingway’s Short Fiction and the Crisis of Middle-class Masculinity). The woman in this story plays the role perfectly. The man on the other hand also fills the part of Hemingway’s usual make leads. “His male characters are hunky he-...