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
Margot Macomber as the Hemingway Code Hero in “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”
Margot is calm, serious girl who enjoys studying. She is the oldest daughter in the family. Anne and Margot have a few family. Anne and Margot have a few arguments during their time in the Annex but sometimes they get alone well. and talk about a lot of things. Still March 12,1944 Anne writes in her diary. Margot spends most of her time thinking about her looney sister Anne. Margot doesn’t play at
There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory.” (283) Much like Louise in “Story of an Hour,” Francis in “Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” faces a similar epiphany within himself. He lacks self confidence and views himself as a coward and a failure. In the beginning, Francis Macomber and his wife, Margot, are on a safari trip to hunt lion and buffalo. On his first trial of hunting
“The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber” also contains the theme of arduous moral situations for the characters. Margot, the wife of Francis, is challenged by the temptation to have relations with their tour guide. Eventually, she commits the crime of adultery, and her husband finds out about her crime and is deeply shaken. “‘Well, why doesn’t he keep his wife where she belongs? What does he think I am, a bloody plaster saint? Let him keep her where she belongs. It’s his own fault’” (Hemingway 13). By the tone of Wilson thoughts, it is inferred that he is not able to find fault in himself and decides to blame it on the most vulnerable person, Francis. In spite of Wilson being the only man to blame for this whole incident, Margot can also take part of the blame. She appears to be a faithful and caring wife, but her actions do not justify this statement.
Women in Hemingway’s stories are portrayed to be heavily sensitive and emotional, and unable to deal with the realities of life. They do not seem to understand how life is not necessarily always going to be a picture perfect world. In “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, Margot Macomber is shown as a very emotional women in many circumstances, as if she is not able to deal with obstacles that life will throw at her. One instance of this is when the two men are having a discussion about killing the lion. At one point, she is making jokes and seeming perfectly fine, then the next thing she starts to cry. Her husband, Francis, and Wilson even acknowledge this as well. They describe how they “both saw
The period between World War I and World War II was a very turbulent time in America. Ernest Hemingway most represented this period with his unrestrained lifestyle. This lifestyle brought him many successes, but it eventually destroyed him in the end. His stories are read in classrooms across America, but his semi-autobiographical writings are horrible role models for the students who read them. Hemingway’s lifestyle greatly influenced his writings in many ways.
“We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” Known by many, this common phrase has few words, but a intense meaning. In Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” the overcoming of fear is shown throughout the story. Francis Macomber and his wife Margaret Macomber are on an African safari with a man name Robert Wilson. Hemingway portrays Francis Macomber as wealthy and beautiful, yet cowardly. Macomber's wife Margaret also young and beautiful, but seemingly dissatisfied with her husband of eleven years. Robert Wilson is portrayed as a fearless man that has little regard for anyone but himself. The story is focused around Francis Macomber’s cowardly actions and his attempt to become
Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” chronicles a rich American couple’s safari hunting trip. Francis Macomber, a seemingly perfect man- handsome, wealthy, and athletic- and his wife, Margot Macomber travel to Africa for a hunting trip. The story opens on an afternoon cocktail hour, after a morning of hunting. Quickly, Margot’s frustration towards her husband emerges. She is embarrassed of his cowardness, and torments him. Richard Wilson, their safari guide, listens to the argument. Wilson is brave and athletic, essentially the qualities Macomber lacks. Earlier that morning, Macomber ran away from a lion, leaving Wilson to mercy kill it. Later, in an effort to win back Margot’s admiration, Macomber successfully gunned down three buffalo. However, an injured one charges, leaving Margot to shoot the buffalo, and Macomber. Hemingway’s use of literary elements enhance and deepen the reader’s understanding of the characters. He develops their actions and motivations through a code hero, symbolism, and allusion.
In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” Hemingway uses the author’s craft of perspective, along with dialogue and internal dialogue to create a multi-part claim that develops an overall negative characterization of the three main characters. Hemingway develops the characterization of Wilson, Margaret, and Francis by using multiple perspectives as he threads a negative tone throughout the story.
excitement." If Francis is no longer afraid of anything, then it is possible that he could walk away from Margot. It is also possible that he could find another wife with his loss of cowardice. When Margot says, in regard to Francis' performance with the buffalo, "I hated it....I loathed it," it is apparent that Margot now realizes that the control she had over her husband is gone. Francis' newly discovered independance destroys the equilibrium in their relationship and leaves Margot on the loosing side of a marriage that she knows is coming to an end.
Since the children are so young they refuse to listen to the truth of what Margot says, and because of that she is hated. "No it’s not!" the children cried. "It’s like a fire," she said, "in the stove." "You’re lying, you don’t remember !" cried the children. But she remembered and stood quietly apart from all of them and watched the patterning windows.” This proves the stubbornness of the children because they refuse to acknowledge that even a little bit of what Margot is saying might be true. Because of this Margot is forced to keep her opinion to prove herself, but that only furthers the gap between her and the other children.
When thinking of masculinity in literature, one author has who has become synonymous with manliness comes to mind, Ernest Hemingway. Critics have spent countless hours studying his writing in order to gain insight into his world of manly delights, including his views on sex, war, and sport. His views can be seen through his characters, his themes and even his style of writing.
Ernest Hemingway is known for writing novels and short stories with unresolved endings. In his short story, ?The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber?, he
The name, Margot, will now because of this character, will mean uncaring. Every aspect of her life had been by evil and hate for herself, which she then deposited onto her husband. She is the type of person that in order to make herself feel worthy has to taunt, tease and slander someone; she is “simply enameled in American female cruelty” (Hemmingway 1569). She is desperate to stay young and beautiful; she was desperate to make sure she was not left behind. She had Francis’s ticket in her hot little hand but kept in close to her because without it he would have left her. For “Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and Macomber had too much money for Margot ever to leave him” (Hemmingway 1579). This is a marital “check” to keep each other in a position where they might not be able to leave. This is clear connection to Judy Jones and the way she loves to play with a man’s mind. Margot does it not like Judy
In Hemingway’s short story, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, we begin with the married couple, Franics and Margaret Macomber, on a safari in Africa with a man named Robert Wilson. Francis is shown to be a coward when he shoots his first lion twice, but is too afraid to finish it off even though it may be suffering. Margaret is very displeased with her husband’s cowardice and shows her contempt by berating him profusely. Francis is awoken from his sleep late at night after a bad dream to find his wife, Margaret, is gone. When she returns to the tent she claims she was out getting “a breath of air” but Francis knew she had just slept with Robert Wilson. Francis