How does Hemingway portray understanding, care, and love in the marital relationship in "Cat in the Rain"?

Hemingway shows the value of understanding, care, and love in a marital relationship by contrasting the way the Italian hotel-keeper treats an American woman to the way her husband, George, does.

The hotel-keeper is much kinder and more attentive to the wife than her husband. For instance, when she says she is going to save a cat she sees taking shelter from the rain under a table, George halfheartedly offers to go get the cat but doesn't resist when she says she will go. He simply goes back to his book and leaves her to it. In contrast, the hotel-keeper has a hotel maid go out with the wife, carrying an umbrella to keep her from getting wet, a bit of thoughtfulness the husband does not think of:

"You must not get wet," she [the maid] smiled, speaking Italian. Of course, the hotel-keeper had sent her.

When the wife returns to the hotel room, unable to find the cat, the husband does put down the book he is reading to talk to her but quickly grows impatient as she tries to express her unhappiness and dissatisfaction. When she describes wanting to grow her hair long and wear it in a knot on the back of her head and have a cat, he shows his indifference:

"Oh, shut up and get something to read," George said. He was reading again.

Even when she says she is having no fun:

George was not listening. He was reading his book.

In contrast, the hotel-keeper is thoughtful and perceptive enough to perceive the lonely wife's need for a creature to nurture. He has a cat brought up to her.

The husband is too self-absorbed to see through his wife's apparent whining to the deep loneliness she feels in the marriage, but the hotel-keeper understands. The kind of thoughtful caring the hotel-keeper shows is what is needed in this empty marriage. Hemingway is showing that small, attentive gestures matter.

What is the significance of care and love in marital life in Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain”?

“Cat in the Rain” is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. It was first published in 1925. The story follows a couple who are on holiday in Italy.

The main theme of this short story is the theme of isolation. Through this theme, Hemingway explores the importance of care and love in marital life, as he shows us that the lack of care and love will unquestionably lead to a feeling of isolation and loneliness.

At first glance, the husband and wife in the story seem to be happily married, as there is no major argument taking place, and they communicate with each other politely and respectfully. However, upon reflecting more closely on the story, one can see that the husband and wife appear to have grown apart and to have lost the spark of love between them.

We can see that, for example, in the fact that the husband “went on reading” when his wife was trying to talk to him about rescuing the cat from the rain. Later on, when his wife tries to speak to him about what matters to her, he tells her to “shut up and get something to read.” This shows that he has lost all interest in his wife—he simply does not care anymore.

At the same time, the wife’s desire to rescue the kitten and to stroke it clearly shows the reader her desire for love, care, and affection. She is not getting any of this from her husband, so she wants to hold the kitten in order to receive it from and give it to the kitten, at least to some extent. She hopes that the cat will enjoy her strokes and that her love for the cat will make up for the lack of love she is experiencing in her marriage.

This short story shows how a marriage does not necessarily prevent people from feeling lonely and isolated. Hemingway highlights how people have to keep working on their relationships. To him, love and care are fundamental parts of a successful relationship and of avoiding the feeling of loneliness and isolation.