Analysis Of The Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber

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In Ernest Hemingway’s story, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, Francis Macomber, because of his cowardly display, was an unhappy man according to Hemingway. On a trip to the safaris in Africa, Macomber was on a quest to regain his happiness while hunting; nonetheless, he was humiliated after running from a wounded lion. Embarrassed by her husband, Mrs. Macomber starts sleeping around with the safari tour guide, Mr. Wilson. Francis final attempt at proving himself, Macomber shots the buffalo; unfortunately, the buffalo was not dead. At the end of the story, Margot Macomber kills her husband trying to save him from getting hurt by the buffalo, but some may question was this accidental or intentional. Mrs. Macomber killed her husband intentionally due to overall cowardly behavior which led to them having other marriage issues.
“Macomber was very wealthy” (pg.13), therefore he knew that Mrs. Macomber would stay with him. Some women are attracted to men who are very wealthy, and we see that with Mrs. Macomber. Needless to say Mrs. Macomber, just as the critics said, “finds Francis attractive because of his wealth” (Sugiyama). Therefore, Mrs. Macomber could have killed her husband in hopes of being a widower and pursuing his hard earned money. Although they had their troubles, it was very transparent that Margot was not willing to divorce Francis under any circumstances because of his wealth. Readers could tell that Mrs. Macomber never loved her husband; she was in love with his money. For this reason Mrs. Macomber could have killed her husband to obtain his benefits.
Francis Macomber has never been a man of confidence; therefore his performance levels were cowardly. On his first voyage Macomber went hunting to find his inner...

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...ne could conclude that Francis’s death is uncertain, but the gathered information can change the reader’s opinion on whether his death was intentional or just a simple accident.
In closing, Mrs. Macomber intentionally killed her husband meaning she is guilty of killing her husband. Margot, in the near future, was very devastated that her husband is now dead, but now she may acquire his remaining. Wilson still remains a tour guide and probably did everything in his power to cover up what is now called a murder. It is very unfortunate that Francis, after finding his confidence, he could not celebrate with his wife. All Francis had was hope; hope that one day someone will appreciate him, hope that one day he will gain his confidence, and hope that his wife will change his view on him and see that he is a man of courage, but as we know his short happy life was taken.

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