Ernest Hemingway - The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

                The short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway was a great story to read.  The narration of this story is told in third person with an all-seeing narrator.  Hemingway tells the story from the views of Macomber, Wilson, Margot and the lion in which Macomber flees.  The plot of this short story is powered by personal relationships.  The use of personal relationships is a technique that is effective at exposing each character’s motivations and the reasons for their behavior.  This story is told mainly through the points of view of Macomber and Wilson.  This is a regular trend with Hemingway’s downgrading of Margot.  This story is about one man’s “coming of age” with the help of the African flatlands, a rifle, and a friendship with another man. The story is also about how Macomber’s freedom was possibly foreseen by a self-centered wife.  Hemingway was a great supporter in the power of nature to improve one’s quality of life.  He spent most of his life as an outdoorsman. He went hunting, fishing, camping, and boating in many diverse places such as Europe, the Caribbean, the United States, and Africa.  This short story was wrote by Hemingway following a 10-week safari trip in East Africa.  There are many different themes that Hemingway uses such as manhood, fear, and the “coming of age.”  All of these themes are exposed through nature and by overcoming the challenges of the wonderful outdoors.  Francis Macomber is described as a handsome man.  He is good at court games, setting fishing records and his safari clothes were practically new.  He has never had any real exposure to a raw, pure natural environment even though he was considered very athletic.  He is described as timid, submissive to his wife, cowardly and frustrated.  He becomes inspired, supported, and overjoyed once he conquers his fears and guns down three buffalo.  He has finally become a man by defeating nature.  His wife, Margot Macomber, is selfish, spiteful, disgraceful, double-crossing, cunning, and possibly murderous.  Hemingway considers Margot as a necessary criminal in this story, as an awkward but vital component of the survival of his male characters.  The main question at the end of the story is whether Margot murdered Macomber or if she was only trying to kill the buffalo.  I was astounded with the ending but in my opinion I think that Margot was shooting at the buffalo because she seen that her husband was in danger.                                                         

Evans, Sara. Wang, Bella ed. *Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway Study Guide : Summary and Analysis of "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber"*. GradeSaver, 10 December 2010 Web. 19 March 2011.