Comparison of male and female relationships in Hemingway's The Cat in the Rain and Hills Like White Elephants This relationship is examined closely in two short stories. The stories, Cat in the Rain and Hills Like White Elephants, both show a man and a woman in what appears to be a quiet, passive moment. However, in both stories, Hemingway carefully uses imagery and subtlety to convey to the reader that the relationship in the story is imperfect and is clearly dysfunctional. Both male characters in each story clearly have difficulty understanding their women, and it is this inability to see them and what they want that Hemingway addresses and criticizes. What, in both works, seems to be a quiet and passive moment, is actually a pivotal point in every relationship, and neither of them seems to realize it. For example, Cat In The Rain tells what appears to be a simple story of an An American couple spends a rainy afternoon in their hotel room. This simple setup serves as a great metaphor for what a couple's relationship appears to be. It's ugly and gray outside. And nothing happens inside. From the begging, we can see that there is a well-established rift in the relationship between George and his unnamed wife. The woman sees a cat in the rain and says to her husband (who is uncommunicative and sits on the sidelines reading the whole time) “I'll go get that kitten” (129). Hemingway writes the husband's response as “I will,” offered her husband from the bed” (129). The fact that George seems so detached and makes no effort to even get up clearly shows us that his “offer” means nothing. He's just going through a mechanical motion where he seems to listen and care, not even caring... middle of paper... some light she needs Bottom line, none of these stories really give any hope to their respective relationships. It seems that both cases involve men who have already ignored and underestimated their loved ones for a long time, and have hurt them and not even seen that Hemingway seems to tell us. The key to continuing to relate is not just listening, but listening. with intent. Both women in these stories are sad, hurt and lonely. These are traits that Hemingway seems to have written about numerous times, but they come across beautifully in these tales they seem small and insignificant at first, but they really offer a snapshot of the emotions of his characters, and also of ours. Works Cited The Complete Stories of Ernest Hemingway. Fianca Vigia edition. Paperback fiction by Scribner. Published by Simon and Schuster. New York, New York.