Hemingway portrays marriage as a union between man and woman, but the woman has no say in the marriage. This is portrayed when the wife engages him in a conversation after she fails to find the cat downstairs. The wife asks George if she can do something different with her hair but it is clear that he is not keen to pay attention to her. She makes demands regarding their lifestyle and her constant want for a cat, but George quickly retorts, demanding that she stays quiet. In this context, their marriage seems more of submission and less of a union. It is also notable that the wife is not as happy, this is seen when she notices the hotel owner, how his features fascinate her. Contrary to how George treats her, the hotel owner is kind and very responsive to feedback.
The cat represents attention. George’s wife seems needy to be heard, to feel loved and appreciated just like the cat. The cat in the cold represents the wife, showing how lonely, desperate and alone it is. The need to show care signifies what the wife wants in a real sense, attention from her husband and love just like the cat.
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Hemingway's style of writing is similar to other authors, especially in the way the themes have been clearly brought out and the writing style embraced. The author has embraced symbolism, using the cat to depict a subliminal message to the reader. He also uses themes such as marriage and fidelity to represent the current situation within the marriage setting, as he tries to show how married couples relate. Also, the use of dialogue makes the narrative interesting to read, as it gives a vivid image of the conversation between the characters.
