Ernest Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain"

The good-looking and young Ernest Hemingway (Milan, 1918)

A worthwhile pastime that has always been my favorite since forever is reading some great literary works or any pieces of writing that would simply teach me something and provide me more novel insights towards the universe, people living in it and how this enigmatic world works. 

As I always say, I love simplicity. With simplicity as my guidance in choosing books to read, I can never refuse to read this man's works. Yes, as you can see up there, and down here, you now know who one of my favorite authors is. He is Ernest Hemingway.

So how does Hemingway have something to do with simplicity that I worship? Well, this is how I fell in love with his works. Long time ago, I never knew who Hemingway was, or at the very least, I knew him only by name but never in my mind did I intend to investigate who that well-known name referred to. That held true until someday my English Prose lecturer brought one of his works to class and made the students and me read a relatively short story entitled "A Cat in the Rain".

Hemingway in his 50's

The short story looked so down-to-earth. By 'down-to-earth', I mean it can happen to anybody, anywhere, anytime. What made me stunned more was the fact that "Cat in the Rain" was written in a journalist-like manner. Hemingway, as you will later read if you haven't, used simple and everyday lexicons. He wrote each word as though he reported an event taking place in front of him. No profound personal feelings and sentiments involved, no overly dramatic scenes, no flood of tears, no exagerrated bliss, no illogical twist of fate. The story only flows calmly, almost unheard of, just like a small stream flowing in a drought.

The style was simple, so was the plot. There, readers won't discover some lengthy sentences or wordy narration that makes your head spin as you try to grasp the  main point. I will not talk with great elaboration here as I strongly believe that a literary work is not to be  told. Rather, it is to be read.

And if you are a keen English learner, you will undoubtedly find Hemingway's works as a number of the best sources to hone your skills, enrich your vocabularies, and if you plan to be a writer, learn how to write well. 

"Cat in the Rain" 

Click the link above to download the short story