How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I want to have a kitty to sit on my lap and purr when I stroke her." (39)
Dream all you want, lady…but why does the cat have to be a "her"? Why does this pronoun slip into the statement?
Quote #8
"And I want to eat at a table with my own silver and I want candles." (41)
These items are the most materialistic of the wife's cravings, but they're also really suggestive of deeper desires . The table, silver and candles are all part of a domestic scene, and wanting them to be her "own" (as opposed to hotel silver) conveys her desire for a home of her own—a place where she presides. The domestic realm, and particularly the setting of a dinner table, is one of the most stereotypically feminine spaces you can imagine. Very subtle, Mr. Hemingway
Quote #9
"And I want it to be spring and I want to brush my hair out in front of a mirror and I want a kitty and I want some new clothes." (41).
Notice the way she's starting to loop back on herself? Didn't we already talk about the hair? In a way, you can get a sense of Hemingway's prejudice against women here. All of what she's just expressed comes down to wanting some new clothes. Do you think this is fair of him, as the author? Do you really think this is the core of what a woman wants? Newness and pretty things? Or maybe Mr. Hemingway didn't quite understand women as well as he thought he did…