Thursday, May 17, 2012

"Cat in the Rain"- Ernest Hemmingway

http://www.vahidnab.com/cat.pdf

17 comments:

  1. I really don’t get what the “Cat in the Rain” is about, but I think it represents the couple’s relationship. In the beginning of the story the view of their window is wonderful and Hemingway stated, “In the good weather there was always an artist with his easel. Artists liked the way the palms grew and the bright colors of the hotels facing the gardens and the sea.” Here she is discourses the feel of new love in the see of the lovers. The rain symbolizes the fact that the couples happy married days were coming to an end. The cat the woman wants to protect were the happy days she spent with her husband, “‘Anyway, I want a cat,’ she said, ‘I want a cat. I want a cat now. If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat.’” Meaning she would give up everything (material things) in exchange for the were things use to be.

    sandrine amin

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  2. I did not get the point of this story at all. The American girl wanted a cat and she was going to go outside in the rain to go get it. I didn't understand why everyone kept telling her not to get wet like it was some huge deal if she did. So, I really did not understand this, it kind of reminded me of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory when the girl keeps begging for a squirrel.

    What was the purpose of the rain in the story?

    Kathryn Collins
    Period 4

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  3. I'm not sure I really understand what this story means either. The part where she was examining herself seemed sort of out of place. Why did she suddenly decide she wanted to change her appearance? Did the cat influence her mindset that much? I thought it was nice that the padrone sent the maid to give her the cat, though. It was like he look a moment from his business to personally help out one of the people staying at his hotel. Perhaps the cat belonged to him and he decided to give it away.

    What did the cat represent to her?

    Alessandra M.
    Per. 4

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  4. This story clearly represents the relationship of the women and George. George had no respect for her, and he didn’t give her any attention. She wanted something, and he would not give it to her. He found his book to be more interesting than his wife. This led to her liking the padrone. He was kind to her, and gave her what she needed and was always there for her. This story can represent modern relationships. If someone doesn’t show his or her interest in someone, then he or she starts to lose their relationship with that person.
    Did the relationship between George and the wife start to fall apart because of the padrone or because of George’s lack of intrest?

    Pompeo M.
    Per.4

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  5. I think the woman was kind of crazy because she was waning like a stubborn child about how she wanted to bring that cat and also how she was talking about how she wanted to change her hairstyle and the way she looked. It seemed that the husband was not paying any attention and ignore what his wife was talking about, he was acting like he was listening to her but returned back to his reading the other minute. She wanted to save the cat may be because she saw herself in that cat, left out and ignored by everyone.

    What was so interesting in the book the husband was reading that he didn't wanted to take off his eyes away from it?

    Shila Rajbahak
    Per 1

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  6. I must agree with the others in saying that this story was awfully strange. The woman's obsession with owning a cat is startling; it is even more bizarre that this cat breaks the dam suppressing this woman's desires, and she immediately craves numerous objects along with ownership of a cat. I am still left mystified by this woman's dramatic personality change; is there some sort of poignant memory that the cat brought the woman's mind ?

    Question:

    Why does the woman suddenly wish for so many things ?

    - Zhanneta.
    Period 1.

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  7. On the outside, this story is about how materialistic and spoiled a woman is. She complains about wanting everything and seems to only care about talking about it rather than actually doing anything. Even in the end she gets what she wants when the cat finally appears. I think the cat just represented a distraction to the woman for a few minutes. I wouldn’t be surprised if she got bored with the cat after playing with it for a short time. The woman will just continue living her life asking and receiving for things without ever realizing how wrong her behavior is. Her husband is just perpetuating this problem by not doing anything.

    Why is the husband so passive about his wife’s doings?

    Kelly Du
    Period 1

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  8. I understood the constant insistence that the American girl not get wet to symbolize the constant desire to not complicate things. We are always taught to keep it simple, that complexity leads to trouble, that change isn't for the better. Getting a cat complicates things, longer hair is more trouble than shorter hair, eating at your own table with your own silverware just leaves for more for you to clean up, yet are all those nuances worth it? For the girl it is, she wants the cat and to embrace the intricate weavings resulting from a myriad of moving factors. The husband is more content with consistence; weary of change, he is holding his wife back.

    Is the best solution always the simplest?

    Stephen Perrotti
    Period 4

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  9. "The Cat in the Rain" is a story which I fund utterly pointless in almost everyway. I found it unorganized, broad, and ultimately boring. However, I did find it interesting how the couple is referred to as the "American wife" and the "American husband". I feel that the author intended to make these characters depict America as a whole, yet they do not have much meaning to them.

    Tyler King
    Period 1

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  10. The women in the story reminded me of Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka because of her “I want it and I want it now” spoiled attitude. This story is about women oppression from the mid 1900’s era(maybe) because like the other stories we’ve been reading, this women feels trapped in her marriage. She wants to be free, but instead she is trapped inside with her husband by the rain. She wants to change up her lifestyle and even thinks about growing her hair long, but her husband thinks differently even pertaining to that. The woman sees herself as the cat, which is why she is so interested in going out in the rain and finding it. Even though it seemed that she had so much, she still felt like she was missing out on something.

    What does the length of the woman's hair symbolize?

    Marisa Period 4

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  11. This story was very symbolic to me. To me, the women wanting to go outside to get the cat was a symbol for people chasing their dreams. I agree with Marisa on the idea that she was being oppressed by her husband. In a way, the woman envied the cat because it lived a free life. She was willing to go out and risk getting wet to find the cat because it symbolizes her leaving her husband to go live her life and all of the risks that are involved with it.

    Do you think the woman's sudden wishes represents her wanted to break away from the life she has with her husband?

    -Ashley Murphy
    Period 4

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  12. I thought that this story was a little odd. The author seemed to use symbols for what he was trying to say. However I did not really understand it completely. The American girl seemed to be very spoiled towards the end of the story and I didn't understand what the author was trying to show. She got so upset because she couldn't have that cat and I wonder what she is really longing.

    What does the woman really want?

    Emily McColl
    period 4

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  13. I wonder why this American couple was in Italy to begin with. It seems, though, that the couple is staying in Italy for a while, judging from the fact that the hotel staff is treating them wonderfully (great hospitality for long-term guests= good money) and the fact that the American wife wants to own a kitty (it really doesn’t make sense to get a pet in the middle of a visit to a foreign country). I agree with some of my classmates above that the wife may feel subordinate to her husband and maybe even lonely. Even though the husband had offered to retrieve the cat for her, later on he dismissed her list of dreams, making him seem more distant to her than close. Because of this distance, she might have looked for a companion in the kitty. As for her other desires, such as the longer hair and the fine dinners, such things can only add “spice” to life with the weight of her hair on her shoulders and the self-indulgence in a nice meal. Overall, even though she was on a trip to Italy, the American wife seemed to be lacking of many things in her life.
    What do we seek comfort in when we feel insecure or lonely?

    Sidney
    Period 1

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  14. The women in the this story has an interesting relationship with her husband, if you can even call it a relationship at all. I feel that she is looked at as a greedy American due to the fact that she longs for all of these material items and superficial things. However, I do not feel as though he doing so is entirely her fault. It is in my opinion that she acts that way because she is bored and longs for more out of her life as well as her relationship with her husband. I think that today the people of America think that they can replace relationships and true happiness with material items. Yet, this isn't the way to obtain happiness, it only makes a person feel emptier.

    What do you think that the cat symbolizes?

    Jessica Teulings
    Period 4

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  15. Here is yet another story about the relationship between a wife and husband. I personally believe that the reason this relationship is definitely a male dominant relationship, just by the way that the husband talks to her. He definitely talks down to her as if she is second to him and really does not treat her well. In regards to the character of the wife, I believe she is very needy at face value. She describes and lists out of all the items that she wants, a new haircut, a cat, a table made of silver etc. I feel that all of these items that she has though, really represent something else. I feel that the cat is her true desire, but she knows that she will never be able to achieve it so, instead she turns to other objects as material possessions for comfort. This story looks as if the wife substitutes in what she actually wants with items of possession for temporary happiness. However she will never achieve real happiness till she gets what she ultimately wants, in this case I would think that to be the cat, but I'm sure it has some deeper meaning.

    What does this story say about material possessions?
    Edgar Ortiz
    Period 1

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  16. What I enjoyed about this story was that it was plausible. The story line was believable to a certain extent and by featuring the American woman’s sympathies; I was compelled to read on further into the story. “A Cat in the Rain” by Ernest Hemingway is an interesting read. I was enlightened by the 90% of the iceberg that remained under water in the text which does not only play upon the relationship between male and female, husband and wife. The wife represents the conscious desire for possession within the story hoping that material things will fill the void of unhappiness her husband has dug for her through his lack of compassion. The husband is once again pictured as a cold and calloused individual unable of loving his wife. “A Cat in the Rain” serves to stereotype the behavior and thought of women through the metaphorical use of the wet feline. It can be argued that cats naturally hate being wet. It is this wetness that creates discomfort for the cat that is forced to bear the elements outside while shielding its coat from the pelting rain. While the husband keeps to himself within the hotel room, the wife looks outwardly and is immediately draw to the cat’s discomfort, much like how a mother is immediately aware and drawn to treat her child’s discomfort. It is within the entity of the cat that the wife feels fulfilled and contented, almost hinting to the lack of satisfaction with her own life and the desire to have a child. The need to help the cat reflects an inner need of the American wife to hold responsibility and have intimacy with a live feeling thing.

    How do affection and intimacy influence a person’s character and desires?

    Alexander Borkowski Period 1

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  17. what could be the metaphorical valve of the maid's question to the wife

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