Cat in the Rain by Ernest Hemingway
In Ernest Hemingway's short story "Cat in the Rain," an American couple is vacationing in Italy. The wife sees a cat outside in the rain and wants to bring it inside, but the husband is uninterested. The wife then goes out to the hotel's garden to look for the cat, but it is gone. She returns to the room and finds that the maid has brought her a cat, which she happily takes in. The story ends with the couple looking out the window at the rain, content in their newfound companionship.
By Ernest Hemingway · First published 1925 · Genre: Modernist Literature, Realism, Romance · 1,145 words
First lines
THERE WERE ONLY TWO AMERICANS stopping at the hotel. They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs on their way to and from their room. Their room was on the second floor facing the sea. It also faced the public garden and the war monument. There were big palms and green benches in the public garden. In the good weather there was always an artist with his easel. Artists liked the way the palms grew and the bright colors of the hotels facing the gardens and the sea. Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war monument. It was made of bronze and glistened in the rain. It was raining. The rain dripped from the palm trees. Water stood in pools on the gravel paths. The sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to come up and break again in a long line in the rain. The motor cars were gone from the square by the war monument. Across the square in the doorway of the café a waiter stood looking out at the empty square.
What this Textopian page supports
Cat in the Rain is listed on Textopian as a short story by Ernest Hemingway, dated 1925 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Ernest Hemingway
- Date: 1925 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Modernist Literature, Realism, Romance, Fiction
- Length: 1,145 words
- Structure: 1 section, 37 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Cat in the Rain by Ernest Hemingway
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Cat in the Rain?
- How does this short story by Ernest Hemingway fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Modernist Literature first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Modernist Literature — The story is written in a modernist style, with a focus on the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters, and a lack of traditional plot structure.
- Realism — The story is written in a realistic style, with a focus on the mundane details of everyday life and the psychological realism of the characters.
- Romance — The story contains elements of romance, as the protagonist is longing for a connection with her husband and is searching for a way to make their relationship more meaningful.
- Fiction — The story is a work of fiction, as it is a narrative that is not based on real events or people.
Tags
20th century · american · american and canadian literature · american fiction · bed · book · cat · desk · door · doorway · george · girl