Ernest Hemingway is known for his stories dealing with outdoorsman who consistently have traits of courage and fearlessness. In “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” Hemingway introduces a man who matches those characteristic, Wilson. When first reading the story I figured the manly man and “hero” would be Francis Macomber, but I soon realized that was not the case. Instead, the safari tour guide named Robert Wilson, is the true outdoorsman. Wilson does not fear chasing and hunting lions and has set a name for himself as a womanizer. Macomber shows character traits that are directly opposite to Wilson. Macomber lives in a marriage under the knowledge that his wife is with him for his money as well as cheated on him with Wilson. He also attempts to steer away from the idea of chasing after a lion, and when the lion attacks, Macomber runs away. Hemingway makes it very obvious to readers that these men are complete opposites.
One aspect I found extremely interesting was Hemingway’s use of hunting as a main theme throughout the story. The entire plot is based around hunting lions in an african safari, but when I looked closer, I realized there are many other examples of the hunter and the hunted. Margot, Macomber’s wife, hunts after Wilson and succeeds when they sleep together. Wilson is an obvious hunter for many things: animals, women, or adventure. Although, one example that is not so obvious is seeing Macomber as a hunter. Throughout the story, Macomber is fighting with himself and searching for his courage. In conclusion, Macomber eventually finds his courage as he has a standoff with water buffalos. I believe this is the most courageous act Macomber has ever done, and he then dies during this act. I think Hemingway did this to further express his opinion of favoring courageous outdoorsman. Possibly, Hemingway believed it was better to die in an act of courage and fearlessness than to live a dull and unadventurous life.
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