The feeling of confinement is a very common feeling among human beings. Some feel trapped in their job or a specific role. All over the world people feel trapped in a situation, with no clue of how to break free of it. In this short story “Cat in the Rain” by Ernest Hemingway this feeling of being trapped without any knowledge of how to escape.
“The American Wife”, as she is referred to as in the story, is a perfect example of a person who fears the unknown and therefore cannot break free.
The first passage in the story is a description of the environment in which the story takes place. This description sets the tone for the story. Hemingway makes use of contrast, by firstly explaining how beautiful the place can be in the good weather, and immediately after provoking a sad and cold feeling in the reader by describing how cold and empty the hotel is. By doing this the reader instantly knows that something is not right. The war monument enhances this feeling, indicating a conflict of some form.
Throughout the short story we see a great use of symbolism. This is a very common tendency in the genre minimalism and this, among other elements, makes the story fit the genre superbly. There is no inner monologue in the story, which makes the story dependent on the readers ability to read between the lines and acknowledge the message of the text. These characteristics are essential, because they contribute to the readers ability to figure out the message instead of forcing the point upon the reader. This way Hemingway can make people learn from his stories. This is not necessarily by understanding every symbol, but instead by taking away relevant aspects of the story and using them to improve their lives.
Det er gratis at oprette en konto