Ernest Hemingway, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

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“The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” is a quintessential Hemingway tale of one man’s attempt to overcome an internal struggle by mastering the external world. Francis Macomber, hunting dangerous game in East Africa, discovers his own bravery and strength when he ignores his self-consciousness and instead relies on instinct. Though Macomber is thirty-five, his realization of his own bravery marks the true start of his life, but that life ends quickly and violently only minutes later.

Macomber, his beautiful wife Margot, and the experienced “white hunter” Robert Wilson are on safari together in East Africa (103). The wealthy Macomber has hired Wilson as his safari guide, and Wilson looks upon his two American customers with some contempt—Francis, because he is a

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Citation: Kale, Verna. "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 April 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7728, accessed 19 March 2024.]

7728 The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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