Sample Correction of the Final Term Exam in Critical Theory for Master Students

The Question: Sketch a psychoanalytic reading of Ernest Hemingway’s "Cat in the Rain" below by discussing how the dynamics between the id, ego, and superego manifest in the character of the American wife. In your answer, make specific reference to the mechanisms of displacement, condensation, and fixation as tools to interpret her desires and actions. How does Hemingway’s writing style depict the hidden emotions in the story?

Freudian Psychoanalytic Analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain”

Introdution : (Neat Introduction (2pts)

Ernest Hemingway’s “Cat in the Rain” (1925) presents a terse narrative about an American couple in a rainy Italian hotel. Beneath its spare surface, the story reveals rich undercurrents of thwarted desire and emotional tension in the unnamed American wife. This essay reads the wife’s behavior through Freud’s structural model (id, ego, superego) and examines how the defense mechanisms of displacement, condensation, and fixation shape her psyche. It further shows how Hemingway’s minimalist “iceberg” style – a blunt, surface-level narration – forces the reader to infer the wife’s repressed emotions and unspoken longings. Close quotations from the text illustrate how her terse utterances (e.g. “I wanted it so much… I wanted that poor kitty” expose her unconscious drives, and how the story’s laconic style simultaneously conceals and suggests those drives.

A. Freud’s Structure of the Mind (Understanding of Id, Ego, Superego with clear definitions and applications 6 pts)

Freud said the mind has three parts:

• Id: the part that wants things now—feelings, pleasure, or comfort.
• Ego: the “realistic” part that tries to get what we want in a smart or socially acceptable way.
• Superego: the moral part that tells us what is right and wrong, based on society and rules.

Applying Freud to the Wife

1.      Id (Wants and Desires):

The wife says things like “I want a kitty to sit on my lap and purr” and “I want a cat now.” These are childlike, emotional wishes—classic examples of the id. She also likes the hotel owner, even though she barely knows him. This shows a hidden need for affection.

2.      Ego (Reality and Compromise):

The wife tries to act on her wishes by going to get the cat. But when she can’t, she compromises: “If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat.” She’s trying to find a small, realistic way to feel better—this is the ego at work.

3.      Superego (Rules and Restraint)

She listens to the maid who says, “You must not get wet.” She doesn’t argue with her husband, even when he’s rude. She tries to behave properly, showing that the superego is guiding her behavior.

B. Defense Mechanisms (defined and correctly linked to the story 6pts)

 Freud also said that people use defense mechanisms when they are upset but don’t know how to deal with it directly.

1.      Displacement :She can’t express her sadness about being ignored or not having a baby, so she puts that energy into wanting the cat. The cat becomes a safer way to show her feelings.

2.      Condensation: The cat stands for many things at once—comfort, a child, love, being cared for. All her emotions are wrapped into this one little animal.

3. Fixation: She acts like a child: she wants toys (cat), pretty things (hair, clothes), and attention. Because she can’t have what she really wants (love, motherhood), she gets “stuck” on small wishes.

Hemingway’s Style and Hidden Emotions : (Connection to Hemingway’s style 4pts:2 for style and 2 for interpretation)

Hemingway’s writing is short and plain—this is called the “iceberg theory.” He doesn’t say the wife is sad or lonely, but we feel it because of how little is said. Her lines like “I wanted it so much” are repeated, and that makes them powerful. The sentence “something felt very small and tight inside” shows deep emotion without directly naming it.

Conclusion (2 pts)

The American wife wants more than a cat. Freud’s theory helps us see that the cat stands for love, warmth, and a lost sense of self. Her id wants comfort, her ego tries to cope, and her superego keeps her polite and quiet. The defense mechanisms she uses—displacement, condensation, and fixation—show her emotional pain. Hemingway’s short, simple style makes us feel what she cannot say. The story becomes a quiet but powerful portrait of repressed desire.