Cat in the Rain Interpretation Essay Example for Free

Cat in the Rain Interpretation Essay Topic: The symbol â€Å"cat† in â€Å"Cat in the rain† (Ernest Hemingway) In many of his stories, Ernest Hemingway used symbols to express the profound meaning of those stories. In â€Å"Cat in the rain†, the poor kitty is the main symbol since it expresses much about the theme of the story. In my opinion, the cat symbolizes three things such as a baby, the couple’s relationship and the wife herself. Initially, the cat is symbolic of a baby. The first reason is the cats here stands for something little and vulnerable which is like a baby. Moreover, when it â€Å"was crouched under one of the dripping green tables†, it appears to be so pitiful, which evokes the wife’ caring and protective instinct of a mother. She feels sorry for it because â€Å"It isn’t any fun to be a poor kitty out in the rain†. She calls it â€Å"she† like it is a human. In addition, although the cat is gone, she still wants to have the cat â€Å"sit on my lap and purr when I stroke her†. In short, the wife sympathizes with the cat and wants to treat it lovingly, which is very mother like. Therefore, a baby is the first thing the cat symbolizes. Next, the cat is also a symbol of the couple’s marriage. The little cat silvering in the rain stands for the unstable marriage of the couple. When the wife sees that poor kitty, she immediately goes to save it. She is willing to go through the rain, which signifies the struggles obstructing her. At the end, she cannot have the cat, in other words, cannot save her deteriorating marriage. In contrasts to the wife’s eagerness, her husband seems to be so indifferent since he is reading all the time:†the husband went on reading†, â€Å"George was on the bed, reading†, â€Å"he was reading again†, â€Å"he was reading again†. Although he does propose to go get the cat, it is just a half-hearted offer. It is only the wife who wants to save the relationship, and without the help of her husband, it cannot be saved. In brief, the marriage of the couple is the next thing that the cat is symbolic of. Last but not least, it is the wife herself that is the most important meaning of the cat. When the cat is first described, it is called â€Å"she†, which is intentionally link the cat and the American girl. She is also nameless like a little poor cat lacking attention from other people. The husband says that he will get the cat but later he does nothing, which is like the way he tries to care about his wife but does not satisfy her needs. Therefore, when the wife sees the cat in the rain, she sympathizes with it, she wants it to sit on her lap and stroke it. It is also her inner desire to have someone treat her lovingly like that. In a nutshell, the wife is the last and clearest meaning of the cat in the rain. The story â€Å"Cat in the rain† may seem to be uncomplicated; however, it has much deeper meanings which are partly expressed through the symbol â€Å"cat†. This symbol, which is interpreted to symbolize three things, plays an important role in helping the readers to better understand the theme of the story.