CAT IN THE RAIN // HEMINGWAY

This story is about Two Americans staying at a hotel in Italy. The hotel room is situated so that it has a lovely view of the monument outside, however on this day it is raining. The wife is looking out of the window and spots a cat under a table that is trying to keep dry. She tells her husband that she is going to get it and when she goes downstairs she is greeted by the hotel operator, whose seriousness and willingness to please her impresses her. When she goes outside, she does not find the cat so she goes back upstairs and begins to complain to her husband about her appearance and lack of expensive possessions. She decides that she wants a cat to stroke, and a table with her own silver, and some new clothing, to which her husband tells her to stop complaining. However, she says that she still wants a cat. Just then, someone knocks at the door and it is the maid who has brought up a cat, at the request of the hotel operator. 

This story explores the decadence of the American lifestyle and the obsessive consumer culture and materialistic lifestyle of westerners. The excessive list of items that the wife wants to own emphasises this, and even when her husband tells her she is being ridiculous and instead should ‘read a book,’ she continues to strive to obtain more materialistic possessions. She has a never-ending desire to possess, and this story in particular explores the American culture of materialism in comparison with other cultures. The Italian culture is examined in this story, where the employees are always at the disposal of the rich westerners and impress them with their impeccable respect and service, 'She liked his dignity. She liked the way he wanted to serve her.’ This is contrasted with the way the Americans treat the servants, in an offhand manner which is expectant and demanding - as if they are entitled to dismiss the Italians simply because of their status. The Italian way of vacationing also contrasts the American culture in that the war memorial outside the Americans window is where the Italians come to mourn and honour the dead. They are more involved in the ideas of the place than in owning things from it. It is also a more communal way of living, to honour the sacrifices of others, rather than to stay inside and read. The woman in the story is also never referred to as her name and instead as ’the wife’ consistently throughout the story. This signifies that she is defined by her marital status, and as the story  is written from a male writer’s view of what a woman thinks she should like, ‘I get so tired of looking like a boy,’ there are typically feminine desires explored rather than realistic ones. The couple in this story are the archetype of a certain type of wealthy Americans after the disaster of the Great War in 1917 - placing importance on travel and expense rather than confronting their own internal issues.