Symbols in Cat and MouseSymbols are very important in the story "The Cat and the Mouse" by Lisa Metzgar. Lisa tells the story of a woman dealing with problems ranging from a little mouse in her house to not wanting to get married. Animals are used throughout the story to symbolize underlying issues. The reason the story is called that, instead of just "mouse", is because the cat and mouse represent Marcy at one point. The mouse is its symbol as it tries to escape the traps set for it. This is the same way she tries to avoid being tied down by the people in her life. The cat may also represent Marcy after taking the poison, symbolizing what will happen to her if she allows others to determine her happiness. At the beginning of the story, Marcy seems to have only one problem, and that is the fact that she has a mouse in her house. However, it is not until she starts thinking about the mouse that she "can't stop thinking about all the other things that are wrong in her life" (Metzgar, 67). The first problem for her is that her parents are in the beginning stages of a divorce and they both seem to want to put her in their corner. Her father wants her to get to know (and eventually love) his new girlfriend Helen, while her mother wants Marcy to hate her. The other (and definitely bigger) problem is her relationship with her boyfriend Tom. She didn't really want a serious relationship when the two started dating, but she didn't want to hurt him either. Now she fears he will suffocate her and fears he will propose. The mouse represents Marcy in that, like her, she is hunted. The difference between the two is that she is the one trying to...... middle of paper...... main character. The mouse that wanders around Marcy's house may represent her free self who does not want to be tied down. The traps that the mouse repeatedly escapes from are representations of the traps that Marcy herself escapes when dealing with people throughout the story. The lazy cat who gets nerve damage from eating the rat pellets may represent Marcy if she lets herself be controlled by the people around her. Although the reader can see the connection between the main character and the animals, it is not until the end of the story that Marcy realizes that the mouse is actually warning her of what will happen if she gives in to the " traps.” Physically seeing the mouse get caught nose-first in the trap and seeing the misery on his face, she realized it would be the same as she would be if she allowed her mind to be controlled by others. others..