Discuss the significance of binary oppositions in Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain”.
Discuss the significance of binary oppositions in Ernest Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain”
A. Farahnak
Looking at Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain”, we can find obvious binary oppositions lying in its different layers. Under the concept gender, we can see the man/woman binary opposition from the beginning of the story. When at first we are introduced to the American couple, they are confined in their hotel room because of the rain. Later in the story the man is depicted as negligent to his wife’s constant outbreaks to attract attention. The American wife is in need of attention and protection which could be the reason why she feels a sudden attraction to the hotel-keeper, which can be seen in these lines: “The wife liked him. She liked…. She liked his dignity”; and the next paragraph actually begins with these lines “liking him she opened the door and looked out”. The point worth noting here is that the man/woman binary opposition in this text is not only present in the layer above mentioned (gender), but also in almost all readings of the story, due to this couple’s differences and the way they communicate. Her husband does not want any change as his wife does and he does not wish to fulfill her emotional needs in the story, and he is content to lie in bed and read his newspapers with complete disinterest. In fact, he is annoyed by her repeated obsession over the cat and her constant interruptions of him while he is paying attention to something other than her, “Oh shut up and get something to read “as he addresses her with utmost lack of interest.
In addition other binary oppositions which can be found in this story are arranged under the category of symbols. In a symbolic view of the story, many concepts from the beginning of the story can be seen as private versus public and natural versus artificial symbolic implications such as the rain or the monument. Actually this symbolic imagery, hidden behind common objects, gives the story all its significance. It goes
A. Farahnak
Looking at Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain”, we can find obvious binary oppositions lying in its different layers. Under the concept gender, we can see the man/woman binary opposition from the beginning of the story. When at first we are introduced to the American couple, they are confined in their hotel room because of the rain. Later in the story the man is depicted as negligent to his wife’s constant outbreaks to attract attention. The American wife is in need of attention and protection which could be the reason why she feels a sudden attraction to the hotel-keeper, which can be seen in these lines: “The wife liked him. She liked…. She liked his dignity”; and the next paragraph actually begins with these lines “liking him she opened the door and looked out”. The point worth noting here is that the man/woman binary opposition in this text is not only present in the layer above mentioned (gender), but also in almost all readings of the story, due to this couple’s differences and the way they communicate. Her husband does not want any change as his wife does and he does not wish to fulfill her emotional needs in the story, and he is content to lie in bed and read his newspapers with complete disinterest. In fact, he is annoyed by her repeated obsession over the cat and her constant interruptions of him while he is paying attention to something other than her, “Oh shut up and get something to read “as he addresses her with utmost lack of interest.
In addition other binary oppositions which can be found in this story are arranged under the category of symbols. In a symbolic view of the story, many concepts from the beginning of the story can be seen as private versus public and natural versus artificial symbolic implications such as the rain or the monument. Actually this symbolic imagery, hidden behind common objects, gives the story all its significance. It goes