The Awakening of Female Consciousness in Cat in the Rain

【Abstract】Cat in the Rain is one of Ernest Hemingway’s short stories that reflect female consciousness. By depicting a story of catching a cat， he describes in detail the gradual awakening of the heroine’s female consciousness and her struggle against the patriarchal society， profoundly criticizing the male chauvinism.

【Key words】female consciousness； awakening； cat in the rain

1. Introduction

Hemingway is one of the most famous novelists of the 20th century. He is famous for his “tough guy”， but he does not disregard women. Some of his novels reflect women’s problems， focusing on their fates and revealing their pains and resistances in gender conflicts. Cat in the Rain， written in 1923， is one of his early works and is written from the perspective of women. It is a masterpiece about the awakening of feminine consciousness. This article mainly analyzes the process of the gradual awakening of the heroine’s female consciousness and her protest against the male society.

2. The Gradual Awakening of the Heroine’s Female Consciousness

Cat in the Rain tells a story about an American couple who were trapped in an Italian hotel by heavy rain. The wife， standing by the window， occasionally found a cat curling up under a wet green table. Out of sympathy， she went out for it but failed to find it. When she got back， she expressed her thoughts to her husband， but all have been rejected. However， she finally got a cat from a maid sent by the hotel holder.

Through such a simple story， Hemingway creates a lonely female figure whose self-consciousness is gradually awakening. Now， the process of her gradual awakening of female consciousness will be analyzed combined with the development of the plots.

2.1 The Lack of Female Consciousness

At the beginning of the novel， it was pointed out that the American couple lived in a strange hotel. George was lying in bed reading， turning a blind eye to his wife who stood by the window out of boredom. From this scene， we can draw the image of a meek and virtuous wife who did everything according to her husband’s will. She had no free will， and even her hairstyle was cut to meet her husband’s hobby. In fact， she was just an accessory to her husband.

This is a typical female representative who is closely attached to man and dominated by man in the male-dominated society， in which man plays a dominant role while woman plays a subordinate role. In this kind of society， there are many absolute privileges for man and restrictions for woman， which is quite unfair. At this time the wife was bound by the traditional gender roles， and she is still lack of female self - consciousness.

2.2 The Awakening of Female Consciousness

Just as the American lady watched out of the window， she accidentally discovered a cat under a table. The cat’s miserable situation aroused her sympathy， and it reminded her of her own situation. The emergence of the cat awakened the American wife’s self-consciousness.

The situation of the cat is just like the situation of women in the patriarchal society. The irresistible rain which covers a wide range symbolizes the male in such a society. In western world， cats are taken as feminine for they are little and meek， and need to be protected just like women. The cat in the rain symbolizes those women who are lack of self-consciousness. Thus， the process of looking for the cat is actually the process of the awakening of the American wife’s self-consciousness.

When realized the similarities between the cat and herself， the American wife went out for the cat regardless of her husband’s discouragement. This is her first step to get out of her husband’s bondage and to learn to be independent. Though she failed to find the cat， she felt an unprecedented sense of being respected because of the hotel owner. The American wife， with this pride， returned to her husband and began to be eager to change her situation and gain women’s rights. She first thought of changing her hairstyle. She tentatively asked her husband for opinion but he said no to her， then she began to refute him and speak out her true thoughts. So far， the American wife’s female self-consciousness is partially awoken.

3. Conclusion

This novel shows the heroine’s awakening process of female consciousness. Hemingway， through a simple story， profoundly criticizes the dictatorship of the male rights， and expresses the strong desire of women to break through gender bondage and their demand for independence， which embodies his sympathy for those women who have no freedom and have lost themselves.

References：

[1]曹巧欣.L雨飘摇的新女性-《雨中的猫》：女性意识的觉醒[J].伊犁师范学院学报（社会科学版），2008（3）：112.

[2]颜李萍.遥望那片明亮的天空-《雨中的猫》的女性意识觉醒[J].时代文学（上半月），2011（6）：150.

作者简介： 彭娟（1992-），女，汉族，四川达州人，宁夏大学研究生在读，研究方向：英美文学。