Cat-in-the-Rain解析与鉴赏

Cat in the RainErnest Hemingway Background Information Ernest Hemingway is one of the greatest 20th-century American writers who have a tremendous influence on the literature. His “iceberg” technique makes most of his stories meaningful and effective. “Cat in the Rain” is the one of the best. According to him, There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that you show. Any thing you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg”. The “iceberg” theory reveals that the design of every scene, character, plot, movement has its implicit meaning. The Story A couple of American stays in an Italian hotel in a rainy day. The wife catches a sight of a poor cat crouching under a table from the rain outside. She wants to bring it in. However when she comes to the yard only finds the cat is missing. After returning to the room a maid sends her a cat. characteristicvRain:a powerful omnipresent coverage, unstoppable mandatory and power, vCat: Pathetic, independence, vThe husband and the hotel keepersuperiorityvThe wife: to be ordered or to be serviced, lack of her own independence. vThe maid: low status Rain is a powerful omnipresent coverage, unstoppable mandatory and power, symbolizing the male-centered patriarchal society as well as the powerful male discourse hegemony雨”是一个强大的无所不在的覆盖，不可阻挡的强制性和力量，象征着男性为中心的男权社会以及强大的男性话语霸权 cat as a symbol of the image of women i n t he pa t r i a r c ha l s o c i e t y , i t s characteristics are: homeless to people, erratic, to avoid danger, struggling for life, the survival status means that women in a patriarchal society, the male dominated by left and right, it is difficult to find their own position. 猫作为象征男权社会中的女性形象，其特点无非是：寄身于人，漂泊不定，躲避危险，苟且为生，这种生存状态意味着女性在男权社会中被男性所支配、所左右，难于找到自己的位置。 Besides the cats, the theme disclosed by male figures, the husband and the hotel keeper in the story， can be found through analyzing their attitude to the wife. 除了猫以外，由男性人物（丈夫和酒店主人的故事）揭露的主题可以发现通过分析他们的态度的妻子获得。 The husband： the conversations between the wife and the husband, the response of the husband, compared with his wifes emotional and long dialogues, is shorter but stronger. Take the husbands reaction to the wife at the beginning, what he says is, “Ill get it”, “Dont get wet” or “shut up and get something to read”at the final. All of these dialogues are seemed more like an order than a suggestion. the hotel keeper : every time the wife passing by him, a feeling of affection arises in the wife. The padrone made her felt very small and at the same time really important. She had a momentary feeling of being of supreme importance. From this, the fact that the protection and respect from the hotel keeper makes her feel superior can be discovered. The attitudes to the wife of the husband and the hotel keeper are opposite in a way. but,the husband, the hotel keeper and even the passer-by (who is a man) share one common feature, that it is superior. The evidence which can prove this notion is the object used by the male figures. A good illustration is the husband never leaves his bed, the padrone has his own desk, and the passer-by gets a rubber cape. Bed, the most important object in the bedroom, to some degree, represents a kind of superiority, such as a desk in the hotel hall. These two main objects imply the superiority of the male. And compared the wife and the passer-by, the wife runs out of the hotel without any rain gear, while the passer-by wears in a rubber cape which can protects himself from getting wet.This tiny detail also suggests that female cannot protect herself by her own. The wife: Obviously, the cat and the women have a close relationship to metaphor. Cat in the rain situation, as women in the patriarchal society. The cat and the fate of it where she has a very deep resonance. She tries to help the cat out of the passive situation with fear. vThe heroine of the motivation of at least two points : one is the narcissistic and masturbation, she protected the cat, also is the consciousness of self protection. She passed the save the cat behavior , to realize self-rescue. Two is a show of strength, she longed for by protecting the cat to prove his role :she can decide to another thing, it is a kind of heroic feelings. She is eager to change their situation, change the appearance, change your hair, change their status, change with her husband in the family relationship. In short, she wants to update themselves.她渴望改变自己的处境，改变外表，改变发型，改变自己的地位，改变她与丈夫在家庭中的关系。总之，她要更新自我。 Another female figure in “Cat in the Rain” is the maid. The twice appearances of her are under the order of the hotel keeper. The first time is the hotel keeper sends her to look after the wife, and the second is the hotel keeper sends her to bring the domestic cat to the wife.Such kinds of plots tells us the low status of the maid, and develops the theme effectively once again. The low social status, dominated by male and without self-awareness is revealed. The comparison between male and female, wild cat and domestic cat in “Cat in the Rain”, shows the superiority of male and inferiority of female. Moreover, the unconscious struggle of choosing freedom and independence or the woman traditional situation in the wifes heart is showed as the more important theme which Hemingway wanted to tell us. Thanks for your attention！