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Analysis Of Ernest Hemingway's Portrayal Of Margot Macomber

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Ernest Hemingway’s Portrayal of Margot Macomber In the short story “The Short Life of Francis Macomber," Hemingway portrays many emotions and motivating forces behind his characters’ intentions. Ernest Hemingway experienced many historical events in his lifetime, in which, he endured humiliation and disappointment such as wanting to join the military, but being unable to due to a health condition (Young). Hemingway also underwent a divorce four times (Young). These experiences help influence Hemingway’s writing style, especially in “The Short Life of Francis Macomber,” when he demonstrates the challenges the characters undergo throughout the short story. The plot of the story is about the experience of an American married couple who go …show more content…

She knows that Francis will never abandon her because he is too much of a coward to ever do so. The narrator describes their relationship by saying, “His wife had been through with him before but it never lasted. He was very wealthy, and would be much wealthier and he knew she would not leave him ever now. That was one of the few things that he really knew” (Hemingway 18). This confirms that Margot is only with him for his money, and once she discovers her husband’s cowardice, she realizes she can manipulate her marriage and have freedom with any choices she makes because she has control of the marriage. Francis feels he needs to prove himself to everyone, revealing Margot’s true intentions behind her actions in their defective marriage. Margot’s character changes throughout the story as she starts to realize that she can manipulate her marriage. She sneaks off one night and finds herself in Wilson’s tent, which implies that she and Wilson participate in some sort of sexual activity. Francis realizes her disappearance, and he automatically realizes what is going on. However, because of his cowardice, Francis knows he is helpless in the situation. Margot is aware he would never attempt to leave her because he is afraid of being seen as failure. She uses his weaknesses against him to get what she wants. For example, when the narrator tells the reader, “He realized that his wife was not in the other cot in the tent. He lay awake with that knowledge for

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