Feline Companionship in The Cat in the Rain I chose to write about Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain" partly because it is one of the few stories of his that I have read that has a " end." There is a specific event at the end of the story that summarizes the events of the story and gives the reader a sense of finality not found in most of Hemingway's short works. Written in his characteristic spare style, "Cat in the Rain" is deceptively simple in plot and character, but a careful reading reveals a deeper meaning behind its elements. The American wife's attempt to save a kitten from the pouring rain becomes a more complex statement about her frustration and isolation from human comforts. I think the portrait of the wife captures these feelings that many women can relate to. In the first paragraph, the theme of isolation is introduced, as the author talks about the American couple in a foreign land without friends or acquaintances. He also describes the beautiful park under the window and the many people who come to enjoy it, only to add that it is now raining and the wife can only look out the window and dream. The wife soon sees the poor cat, drenched in the rain, and feels compassion for him. Her husband, who reads, is indifferent to her discovery, except that he half-heartedly volunteers to take the cat (most likely to stop her from complaining). The woman can't seem to connect with her husband, who treats her almost like an annoying child, as much as the pathetic cat outside. As he ventures out of the room to save the cat, he first passes the innkeeper with his clothes. office. In a series of parallel sentences, the author describes the innkeeper, or owner, and what the woman likes about him. This passage shows... in the middle of the paper... the husband's complacency towards his wife and his desire for respect, admiration and emotional satisfaction. A related but more direct contrast is between the husband and the master, who represent the status quo and the wife's desires, respectively. In the last paragraphs, Hemingway states that it is getting dark outside, and later that "it was quite dark and it was still raining on the palm trees" (170). Then, just before the servant arrives at the door with the cat, a light comes on in the square. light. The amount of light seems to be related to the wife's hopes and the possibility she has of changing her situation. The light towards the end signals the arrival of the cat, a gift from the innkeeper more respect from her husband now that she has experienced a feeling of importance and self-worth..