Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What does it mean to be "American" in this story? What does it mean to be Italian?
- The adjectives "small" and "tight" get used to describe both the cat in the rain and the feeling the wife has before the padrone.
- What is this tightness and why does the wife enjoy it?
- How does the padrone really feel about being a hotelkeeper?
- Why does the wife say that she wants it to be spring?
- Is the cat that the maid brings up the same one that was hiding from the rain?
- Why does the padrone's attitude make the wife feel important?
- Is Hemingway more sympathetic to the wife or her husband?