THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN SETTINGS
AND THE MOOD OF STORY
(The setting analyzed is derived from short story “Cat in the Rain” by Ernest Hemingway)
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| Are you well-aware who is actually "Cat In the Rain'? |
In the short story “Cat in the Rain”, Ernest Hemingway again comes up with a certain degree of irony that runs through the story. The element that the writer tries to analyze is setting. As we know, in another story, setting is commonly built to mirror the mood or atmosphere of the story. But in this story, Hemingway does something clever in playing the reader’s emotion indeed because he produces setting which mismatch the mood of his story.
“Cat In the Rain” is a story about American couple spending a holiday in Italy. They face serious conflict within their marriage.
- SETTING
Here is the detailed setting of the story:
1 | Place | Second floor hotel facing the view of sea and public leafy garden |
2 | Weather condition | Rainy day |
3 | Time | In vacation |
4 | Country | Italy |
Now, let’s focus on each item of setting below:
- Place: Second floor hotel facing the view of sea and public leafy garden
For a couple, spending vacation with partner in a gorgeous place just like in the story is a perfect moment to deliver a bunch of flattery remarks, notably for husband. It’s the right place to a husband to say “No wonderful place in this universe surpassing my wife’s fascination, even paradise in my imagination”.
The beautiful place must be a medium for stimulating romantic moment.
- Weather condition: Rainy day
Rainy day is weather what actually a couple always waits for leading them to bed marriage. It is a proper time to make warm each other, to wrap each other, to burst sexual bold desire. It’s a fabulous moment for touching, stroking, caressing and teasing one another.
In a short word, in rainy day, a couple usually experiences a fiery flavor of sexual intercourse.
- Time: Vacation
Holiday is expected to be the day which is full of warm joke, relaxed talk, and joyful moment
- Country: Italy
Italy is known for a country in which we find every couple showing romantic action everywhere, in each corner of city.
- MOOD OR ATMOSPHERE OF THE STORY
Afterward, let’s compare with the mood of the story
The story firstly cradles the reader with the nice setting built, unfortunately, what actually happens is:
The reader finds a disappointed wife and indifferent husband. Their relationship is so cold, rigid, and unfriendly. There’s no dinner, drinks, music and flowers completely. What actually does exist in the story is bold loneliness, marked disappointment and obvious unsatisfactory of a poor lonely wife. She is lack of affection, service and attention. She is ignored by her own husband. She is hungry of warm hug, fierce kiss, and soft touch. The husband itself is so disinterested and has no sensitivity at all. Consequently, he really doesn’t care his wife desire. He left his wife cold, lonely and alienated in rainy day.
The reader finds a disappointed wife and indifferent husband. Their relationship is so cold, rigid, and unfriendly. There’s no dinner, drinks, music and flowers completely. What actually does exist in the story is bold loneliness, marked disappointment and obvious unsatisfactory of a poor lonely wife. She is lack of affection, service and attention. She is ignored by her own husband. She is hungry of warm hug, fierce kiss, and soft touch. The husband itself is so disinterested and has no sensitivity at all. Consequently, he really doesn’t care his wife desire. He left his wife cold, lonely and alienated in rainy day.
Let’s see the discrepancy between setting and mood of “Cat In The Rain”
▶In nice place, she should see harsh and cruel reality of pseudo marriage.
▶In holiday, she just experiences bitter moment
▶In rainy day, she gets no warmth from her husband, feels so cold and as a matter of fact, rain freezes her bold desire
Such an ironic story, isn’t it?
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