Cat in the Rain

“The sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to come up and break again in a long line in the rain.”

In this excerpt, Hemingway employs repetition to mimic the rhythmic motion of the sea: The water breaks, slips back, comes up, breaks again. Hemingway also employs a type of repetition called epanalepsis. In this type of repetition, the writer uses a word or phrase at the beginning of a clause and repeats it at the end of the clause. Here, Hemingway repeats “in a long line in the rain” near the beginning and at the end of the sentence, with the intervening image of the water moving back and forth against the shore. The combination of visual images—the movement of the waves and the way they break in a long line—establishes the tone, both monotonous and melancholy.

“The American wife stood at the window looking out.”

This simple description of the wife conveys that she longs for something outside of not just her room but also her life. Her husband, George, is named, but she is not; she is only “the American wife,” “the wife,” or “the American girl.” Whether Hemingway intends her to be emblematic of ennui or of stagnation in marriage (or both) is unclear, but he establishes that she looks outside herself for fulfillment in this first sentence of introduction.

“‘Don’t get wet,’ he said.”

George’s off-handed remark shows and lack of interest in and care for his wife. Though he had offered to go retrieve the cat, his offer was perfunctory rather than genuine. This line also sets up a contrast with the maid’s and the padrone’s upcoming assistance and insistence that she must not get wet.

“The wife liked him. She liked the deadly serious way he received any complaints.”

The wife likes the hotel-keeper because he takes her seriously. Unlike her husband, the hotel-keeper is responsive to her needs and sincerely wants to help.

“The wife went downstairs and the hotel owner stood up and bowed to her as she passed the office. […]

‘Il piove,’ the wife said. She liked the hotel-keeper.

‘Si, si, Signora, brutto tempo. It is very bad weather.’”

The wife likes the dignified hotel-keeper because he contrasts with her husband: he bows to her respectfully (her husband sits on the bed and reads), calls her by the respectful title “Signora” (her husband calls her nothing), and validates her by repeating her observation about the rain (“Si, si […] It is very bad weather”). Though the padrone’s job is serving others, he makes the wife feel heard.

“‘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.’”

This excerpt is a high point in the tension because the reader has been wondering why the wife wants the cat so much: one possibility is that the discontented woman (though Hemingway never calls her a woman, only referring to her as a wife or girl) has desires she feels are ignored. She identifies with the cat and tells George she understands what it’s like to feel alone and vulnerable. Hemingway also uses two types of repetition here: anadiplosis, a word that appears at the end of a clause or sentence repeats at the beginning of the next clause or sentence (“I wanted it so much […] I wanted it so much”) and epanalepsis (“[…] I wanted it so much. I wanted […]”) to emphasize the wife’s discontentment. The repetition also raises questions about the wife’s character: Is she a spoiled American, bored by her husband and their travel to Italy? Is she a neglected wife whose husband routinely ignores her needs and desires and who is finally finding her voice? Hemingway offers ambiguity instead of answers.

“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.”

The wife’s discontentment becomes specific in this passage. Tired of traveling, she wishes to eat with her own silver. She wants candles, which indicate a variety of desires, such as romance, elegance, or beauty. She wishes for springtime, presumably for flowers and sunshine. She is unhappy with her appearance (or the way she expresses herself in the world) and wants another living thing to care for.

“‘Oh, shut up and get something to read,’ George said.”

The last thing George says is mean and dismissive. He is suggesting she conform to his notion of passing her time (and her life) and that she should be content with what she has.