Essay on Roupenian’s ‘Cat Person’: Critical Analysis

Our perception of a fictional character derives from our understanding of character to be a set of beliefs, values, moral fiber, and personal traits that within a work of fiction transcend beyond the plot to communicate the complexities of the internal self. However, beyond this definitional understanding, Kristen Roupenian’s contemporary short fiction, ‘Cat Person’, explores how third-person omniscient narration, the use of colloquial language and free indirect speech within the piece’s digital media context, omission of the antagonist’s perspective, and the complexity of the protagonist’s internal thought can ultimately affect the authenticity of the fictional character portrayed, perhaps prompting the reader to make assumptions regarding the truth of a flawed fictional character. These elements in culmination, specifically the third-person omniscient form in narration allow for “forms of ambivalent self-reflection negotiated within the short story’s confines”, (Achilles and Bergmann, 2014). Due to the relatable aspect of Roupenian’s work, as well as these key structural elements, the reader can broaden the scope beyond a chronological, simplistic unfolding of events, to further reflect on the fragility of internal life through the characterization within, arguably making this piece a relevant and compelling narrative today. While the short story as a form is constantly evolving, in recent years, the distinction between nonfiction and fiction has been blurred to an extent, evident in Roupenian’s ‘Cat Person’, as colloquialisms reflective of the 21st Century modern age, can be misconstrued as a real person ‘disguised’ as a fictional character. Many have noted the “discourse around (the story) reflects how the distinction between fiction and non-fiction has collapsed”2 (Berg, 2018). However, “Critical and popular reception of the short story cycles reveals a longstanding celebration of innovation that evinces the influence of a modernist commitment to newness,” (Smith, 2017).

This remains true within the confines of contemporary short stories, as Roupenian’s innovation in form, mimicking these generations' text-savvy communication, is effective in conveying the intricacies of the mind within a contemporary space. While language is colloquial “I promise I will c u soon,“ the modern approach to character interaction and how this relational dynamic is drastically changing, provoked responses to the piece to be “lauded for its realism” (Zoladz, 2019). From this, the reader gains profound insight into base human propensities within fictional characters, which can be evidently heightened within a technological context, and due to these isolating externalities of communication through social media, the imperfect nature of humanity can be eloquently captured in fictional characters and their interactions with others and the internal scape. Importantly, elements of the external within a short story construct can offer an enriched understanding of a fictional character. In ‘Cat Person’ this is centralized around Margot, the protagonist.

The use of technological jargon exhibits the context of texting culture, “Robert sent her back a smiley-face emoji whose eyes were hearts”, and the simile “there was kind of exhilaration to it as if they were dancing” are both indicative of the character relationship being based predominantly over social media. As a result of the limited face-to-face communication, narrative conflict is heightened, due to the lack of knowledge both the readers and Margot have regarding Robert. However, through Robert’s dialogue, the reader becomes privy to Margot’s internal character, her propensity to over analyze what he says, and how he behaves through a meticulous description of body language, “he didn’t hold her hand or put his arm around her…she was pretty sure that he had changed his mind about her.” This duality through which the reader experiences the narrative through allows Margot’s conflict with her internal thought, to evidence potential abnormalities in Margot’s character, prompting uncertainty in her reliability. Social media is used as a medium to facilitate the unhealthy development of the relationship between Margot and Robert, thus Margot’s internal life becomes a reflection of the fragmentation of her reality.

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The intricacies of internal thought particularly characterized in the protagonist ‘Margot’ portrayed in Roupenian’s ‘Cat Person’, can affect the authenticity and reliability of a fictional character to an impressionable reader. It is a lack of communication in Margot’s ‘real’ world that prompts communication with facets of self; fantasy and the imagined. From the outset, the audience is weary of Margot’s predisposition of allowing self-reflection and the imagined, to determine the events of her reality. A fabrication of her reality is immediate, “She could have drummed up an imaginary crush on him,” as her imagination begins to dictate her reality. Through Margot’s commentary of interaction simultaneous to its occurrence, the reader understands the events through the conflict between the events Margot lives through, as well as her internal thoughts. Significantly, this recurring dependence on Margot’s fantasized reality presents the idea that communication with one’s internal self, does not necessarily grant introspection, as Margot’s internal thoughts are focused on fantasies of improving the external rather than herself, “She wished there were a way she could ask him not to do that,” while she envisioned ridiculing him with her “imaginary boyfriend”. Therefore, Roupenian addresses negative human qualities such as self-importance through fictional characters. Another clear commentary on human behaviour is addressed in the underlying cynicism that permeates Margot’s character through the forthright tone in her internal thoughts. Within conversation with Robert, “What do you want to do now?” he asked her. “We should probably just kill ourselves,” she imagined saying, and then she imagined that somewhere, out there in the universe, there was a boy who would think that this moment was just as awful yet hilarious as she did and that sometime, far in the future, she would tell the boy this story, but of course, there was no such future, because no such boy ever existed, and never would.” This exert from ‘Cat Person’ is integral to expressing the cynical undertone to Margot’s characterization, as she believes to live vicariously through her internally constructed scenarios is the closest she could come to a meaningful and real romantic relationship.

Omission within the short story form, while necessary to a degree to function as a compelling narrative, commands the attention of readers to interpret complex characters, while making assumptions about context and characters through impressions of what is told. Margot as a protagonist in ‘Cat Person’, is not the archetypal ‘round’ protagonist as much of the short story plot is focused on the developing relationship between Margot and the antagonist, Robert. Ultimately, through this lack of knowledge and accessibility, there is inconsistency in readers’ interpretation of the fictional character, as an arguable degree to which free indirect style is missing from the character ‘Robert’. As a result, the reader is challenged to connect with the characters, due to the conflation between narration and Margot’s internal thought, the reader is likewise afflicted with what is ‘true’ and who is authentic within the fictional piece. However, postulating Hemingway’s iceberg theory “The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.” (Hemingway, 1932), Roupenian utilizes a minimalistic writing style to enrich the characters. Furthering this, beyond the humanistic level a motif of cats, introduces another quandary for the reader. Due to the omission of Robert’s free indirect style, “She remembered that he’s talked a lot about his cats and yet she hadn’t seen any cats in the house, and she wondered if he’d made them up,” the reader must interpret which fictional character is reliable.

Thus, omission prompts interactivity with the reader, where our perception of a fictional character is based on little credible information. As a seemingly flawed and emotionally unhinged character, apparent through free indirect speech and dependency on the imagined aspects of self, Margot in ‘Cat Person’, allows the reader to interpret fictional characters to represent exaggerated versions of humanity’s flaws. The climax of the narrative: the sexual encounter between Margot and the antagonist, Robert, has a dual nature, emphasizing the need to separate the perspective revealed by fictional characters, from the truth of the events within a story. While the idea of Robert being pleased by the sexual encounter intrigues Margot “she felt a twinge of desire pluck at her belly, as distinct and painful as the snap of an elastic band against her skin.” This metaphor conveys a distorted perspective of physical and emotional relationships, once again shifting the reader’s perspective of a fictional character to be within herself emotionally damaged. Further, the self-important tone “president, secret service”, suggests an imbalance in Margot’s perception of the relationship she shared with Robert, in effect irrationalising her perspective and thoughts portrayed throughout to the reader. An abnormal approach to relationships, not only in the absence of physical attraction to Robert presenting to be “painful” for the protagonist but Margot’s free indirect speech, exaggerates her imbalanced grasp on romantic relationships. “This is the worst decision I have ever made!”, in contrast with her earlier desire to please Robert as well as the instigation of the sexual encounter, exemplifying Margot as a flawed character of fiction, cementing the reader's perception of a fictional character to have the potential to be unreliable and flawed. The stability of Margot’s mental state, as well as the legitimacy of internal thought as a reflection of the truth of ‘Cat Person’ is more extensively explored within Margot’s internal escape, “Look at this beautiful girl, she imagined him thinking. She’s so perfect, her body is perfect, everything about her is perfect, … I want her so bad I might die.” The extremity and meticulous tone within the description of Margot’s imagined reality is perhaps Roupenian’s attempt to indicate the disturbed facet of Margot as a fictional character, that in another form could be concealed from the reader. Roupenian’s contemporary short fiction ‘Cat Person’, through third person omniscient narrative and free indirect speech, reinforces the argument that our interpretation of fictional characters may need to challenge, as external elements to the protagonist, the theory of omission, the interplay between the internal scape and reality, can ultimately affect the authenticity and ‘truth’ of a flawed character within a work of fiction.