'Cat in the Rain' and 'The Sea Change'

            After reading more and more of his stories, it makes a lot more sense to me now why Hemingway had so many marriages and affairs.  The two stories  ‘Cat in the Rain’ and ‘The Sea Change’ by Hemingway show more dysfunctional relationships that seem either to be horrible relationships or ones near the end.  In his typical short story style, he only gives the tip of the iceberg with the rest left for the reader to discover.  The short scenes in each story are about random events and quick conversations without an obvious point. 

            In ‘The Sea Change’ there is a couple sitting in a bar having a conversation about an unknown topic.  The way the story is told feels almost as if you are listening in on their conversation instead of hearing it firsthand.  There is obvious tension between the two of them and it does not seem to be a stable relationship.  It is clear that the relationship is not going to last and that it is most likely ending, but that is about all you know for sure.  There is a lot left to think about after reading this story.  I was left wondering why they were breaking up and what specifically had happened between the two that left their relationship like this.  In a way, I thought that it was more interesting to tell the story in this way because you could use your imagination to think up all of the possible scenarios, instead of just being told what happened. 

            ‘Cat in the Rain’ also left a lot of questions unanswered, leaving the readers with little conversation and a bizarre scene involving a cat.  The main characters are a married couple from America staying in a hotel in Europe.  It is raining heavily and the wife is staring out the window.  Once she sees the cat, she almost becomes obsessed with going to get the cat.  She doesn’t find it, but at the very end of the story, the maid appears with it in her hands.  When she returns to the room without the cat she talks to her husband about it and seems extremely upset about not being able to get the cat that she had randomly found.  Her husband, just as he had in the beginning of the story, basically ignores her and shows no concern in the matter.  I found that as she seemed to be getting more and more frustrated in her conversation with him, I was too.  I felt like I was watching a woman get pushed to her breaking point where she became extremely frustrated.  It was clear that they were living by his rules and did what he wanted.  She had obviously been doing everything to please him without a concern for her own desires and needs.  The cat became her symbol for all of those things she wanted and either gave up or didn’t get because of him.  She couldn’t and hadn’t gotten or done anything that she wanted to, so all she wanted was that cat, right then.   She is looking to these material things because she is not being fulfilled emotionally in her relationship. 

            I really enjoyed ‘Cat in the Rain’ after I reread it and gave it more thought.  The first time I read it, the story seemed really trivial.  I realized that it could not simply be a story about a lady on vacation wanting a cat; it is Hemingway after all.  After I thought about it and read it, again I really started to enjoy it and could empathize with the wife.  Both of the stories however, shed light on Hemingway’s inability for stable relationships and that he obviously did not think to positively when it came to commitment and long-term relationships.