# On Cats explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant.

## What happens

The narrator reflects on the dual nature of cats—their charm and treachery—and draws parallels to certain women. He recounts a dreamlike stay at a castle in Thorence, where a cat mysteriously enters his locked room through hidden passages, and later describes a childhood memory of watching a cat die in a snare with cruel fascination.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Desire

The narrator compares the treacherous tenderness of cats to that of certain women, highlighting the duality of attraction and danger in desire.

### Cruelty and Suffering

The narrator recalls a childhood episode of watching a cat die in a snare with a 'trembling and cruel joy,' revealing a latent cruelty.

### Illusion vs. Reality

The dream sequences blur the line between reality and fantasy, especially when the narrator awakens to find a real cat in his bed.

## Character check-ins

### Guy de Maupassant

The narrator and author, who recounts his experiences with cats, dreams, and a stay at a castle in Thorence.

## Key lines

> I had one day the strange sensation of having inhabited the enchanted palace of the White Cat, a magic castle where reigned one of those undulant, mysterious, troubling animals, the only one, perhaps, of all living creatures that one never hears walk.

The narrator felt as if he had entered a fairy-tale castle ruled by a silent, mysterious cat.

_Sets the dreamlike tone of the chapter and introduces the cat as a central symbol._

> I could have taken a spade and cut the snare, I could have gone to find the servant or tell my father. No, I did not move, and with beating heart I watched it die with a trembling and cruel joy.

The narrator had the chance to save the cat but chose instead to watch it die, feeling a mix of excitement and cruelty.

_Reveals the narrator's dark fascination with suffering and the complexity of his feelings toward cats._

> Some women, also, give us that sensation⁠—women who are charming, tender, with clear yet false eyes, who have chosen us entirely for their gratification.

Certain women evoke the same mix of attraction and distrust as cats, being charming but self-serving.

_Draws a direct analogy between feline and feminine duplicity, a recurring theme in the chapter._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/on-cats
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters