Cat in the Rain

In Ernest Hemmingway's short story "Cat in the Rain," a woman can see a cat trying to protect itself from the rain. She tells her husband she wants to go outside and bring the cat back to their room to keep it from getting wet. On her way to getting the cat, she runs into a worker at the hotel who is doing his best to make sure her needs are met. She appreciates the hard work he is doing in making sure she is happy. When she gets outside, the cat is gone and out of sight. Having returned to her room, she tells her husband how the cat is gone and how she really wants a cat. She also begins to list many other things she wished she had including wanting to change parts of her appearance. What she really wants, however, is something much more.

The woman in the story really just wants some love and attention from her husband. While he compliments her looks when she talks about changing parts of her appearance it seems more out of obligation. The whole time she is trying to discus her wants he is reading and barely paying attention. He fails to give her the affection she so badly wants. Her admiration for the worker at the hotel helps to prove what she truly desires. The constant attention he gives to her welfare flatters the woman and gives her a feeling of importance. I believe she also wants a cat because she knows it will be something that will constantly give her affection. It would be a pet that could sit on her lap and always be there for her.

"Cat in the Rain" shows the need people have to feel affection and receive some type of attention from others. No one likes to be ignored from those around them and to live as though they are unoticed in the world. All the woman in the story needed was for her husband to remember to love and be considerate of her once again.