Characters

The most important characters in “Cat in the Rain” by Ernest Hemingway are the American wife, as the main character, and her husband, George, as a secondary character. Secondary characters also include the hotel owner, the hotel maid, and the waiter at the café and a man in a rubber cape.

The American woman is not given a name or an occupation – this enhances the impression that she mostly fulfils the role of a modern wife. The story suggests she does not find this fulfilling, as her behaviour throughout the story reflects frustration with not having a more traditional marriage and lifestyle.

George is not a developing character in the story. His overall attitude suggests that he is more concerned with his own wants and needs than with his wife’s, portraying him as selfish and perhaps even misogynistic.

The hotel owner is symbolic of old-fashioned values and traditional gender relations. He is chivalrous and polite to the American woman.

You can find their characterisations in what follows.