An Appreciation of Cat in the Rain

卫雪然+周玉忠

【Abstract】Among Hemingways remarkable short novels with distinctive writing style， Cat in the Rain is one of the most outstanding one， which represents some social status of the time when Hemingway lived. It shows Hemingways minimalism writing style， the gap between sexes， and the realization of feminism at that time. This paper analyses and discusses this literature work from the perspectives above.

【Key words】Appreciation； Cat in the Rain

Hemingway is famous for his short stories and Cat in the Rain is one of the most famous ones. As usual， the short story reflected Hemingways distinctive style of literature creation：minimalism. Both the plot and language reflect minimalism features and principles. For example， the language is so compact that even a child can understand the literal meaning. Of course， there is much more to appreciate in Hemingways seemingly simple work.

In this short story， an American couple lives in an Italian hotel. In a raining afternoon， the husband is reading while the wife is looking outside into the heavy rain. She finds a cat under a table outside. The cat looks so vulnerable and arouses some feeling in her heart， so she expresses that she want the cat badly. The husband， surprisingly， is indifferent to what his wife needs. He tries to pay attention to his wife from time to time but finally he loses patience for her. The owner of the hotel and the maid are nice and friendly toward the American wife. They provided considerate help for her not only because they are doing business， but also out of sincere care and pity. The wife wants the cat but she cannot win the sincere support from her husband， who is focusing on his own reading. Similarly， the wife want to have her hair grow longer and try a different hair style， but the husband does not really care about what she wants. The wife feels boring and sad even though the maid brings a cat for her.

Something noteworthy is that in this short story the woman is called differently by different people：the wife of the American man， she， American girl and Signora specifically. The names are actually in accordance with a sequence， in which the importance of the woman is increasing. She developed a sense of independence gradually. Through these names， she played different roles with different status. We can infer that she came to realize that she needs freedom， equality and independence.

Every reader interprets the story differently. From a narrower perspective， the story reflects the relationship of this American couple. In their marriage， they are attached to each other but， somehow， to some extent， they are alienated from each other， so that they can neither recognize the need of their spouse nor satisfy each other. The wife want to own what she wants but the husband does not take it seriously. The husband want the wife to stay the way he would like， while the wife feel troubled about not living up to her own ideas. They dont fight or quarrel， but I， as a reader， can still feel the tension and hiding contradiction between them.endprint

In this short story， the most prominent figure is the American wife. In the whole story， she acts like a toddler who tries to explore the world around her. She comes to realize she want something out of her own desire， instead of what her husband desires. She comes to realize that in her heart， she has independent desires， which reflects her own thoughts. Then she begins to express her desires and tries to grab what she wants. However， like a toddler always stumbles， she turns out to be refused by her husband， who seems to be in charge of their lives. Even though the wife failed at the first endeavor， it still means a lot because the idea of independence has appeared. Thoughts always come first before appropriate action. She didnt have the kitten she wants and she didnt get the permit to have the haircut she appreciates， but this is one of the procedures in her way to independence.

The husband， the American man， represents the dominant gender of the society. In this short story， the husband is keen on reading and acts indifferently in responding to the demands of his wife. His language is gentle， but the gentleness is just a product of his own thoughts. He cannot see what his wife want and dont think those demands or desires are really serious and important. So there is a blind spot in his mind. As long as this blind spot exists， the relationship between the couple is imbalanced. The society can operate as usual under this kind of imbalance， but the creativity of women will not be released， nor the basic rights for women ensured. Women can do more in spite of being delicate decoration.

The hotel owner and the maid both felt for the American girl for the owner cared about if she is happy and the maid provided umbrella and even brought her a cat. In my position， they represent the part of the society which recognizes the rights of women. Their voice is not so powerful to exceed the voice of people who are represented by the husband， but its like a kindling which can ignite peoples passion for evolution in equality between sexes.

In conclusion， this short story has three meanings. First， it discusses the relationship between men and women. Second， it reveals that women begin to realize the inequality between sexes and tries to strive for freedom and independence. Third， it reflects the different attitudes come from the whole community. All these thoughts are conveyed in a minimalism style. The story is short， the dialogues are simple and there is no extra language despite those necessary.

作者簡介：

卫雪然（1992.3-），女，宁夏石嘴山人，宁夏大学，2015级学术硕士在读，研究方向：翻译理论与实践。

周玉忠（1959.10-），男，宁夏银川人，宁夏大学，博士研究生，研究方向：翻译理论与实践、美国文学、语言规划与语言政策。endprint