The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber - Major Themes

Major Themes

The essence of The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber is courage. Wilson has courage but Macomber, who is afraid of lions, has none. The cowardly husband who watched as his wife made her way from Wilson's tent hours before, reaches a point of courage when he hunts the buffalo. When Macomber finds the courage to face the charging buffalo he forges the identity he wants: the courage to face wild animals; the courage to face his wife. Tragically, Macomber's happiness is measured in hours, and indeed even in minutes. Hemingway biographer, Carlos Baker, claims that Macomber loses his fear as the buffalo charges, and the loss of fear ushers Macomber into manhood, which Margot instantly kills.

Baker believes Wilson symbolizes the man free of woman (because he refuses to allow Margot to dominate him) or of fear; the man Macomber wishes to be. Wilson understands, as he blasts the lion dead, that Margot is a woman who needs to be dominated. Jeffrey Meyers considers Margot Macomber to be the villain of the story. She characterises "a predatory (rather than a passive) female who is both betrayer and murderer"; and she emphasizes the connection between "shooting and sex."

Francis Macomber has lived most of his adult life under the manipulative and domineering influence of Margot. He cannot bring himself to face her and assert his leadership in their marriage, allowing her to step all over him. The text implies that the affair with Wilson is not the first time Margot has cheated on her husband. Macomber, fleeing from the lion, is unimpressive when compared with Wilson, the seasoned hunter and safari-veteran, cool and collected in the face of danger.

The loss of Macomber’s manhood in the encounter with the lion mirrors the blow he takes when Margot blatantly cheats on him. This appears to be the last straw, pushing him over the edge. Macomber translates his fury into the intensity of the hunt. He experiences rising confidence and bravery during the hunt, as he seeks to take back the manhood he has lost, or perhaps never had.

This transformation is highlighted by various symbols. The story opens with Macomber offering the group “lime juice or lemon squash.” But at the end of the buffalo hunt, he and Wilson toast their success in whiskey. Macomber has gone from a timidly drinking juice, to a hunter, downing more masculine hard liquor.

Hemingway also employs animals to carry the symbolism of The Short Happy Life. Macomber is referenced as a rabbit several times, and one of his kills is described as one of “the big cowy things that jump like hares.” His conquests are gentle animals, easily frightened. In contrast, Margot is described as “predatory,” like a lion. The comparison to Macomber’s cowardice during the hunt is clear: Macomber the rabbit runs from his wife, a lion. The gaining of courage involves Macomber feeling hot rage, an experience associated with the lion. Finally, Macomber lies dead, mirroring the posture of the buffalo he has shot. Wilson compliments the dead creature as a “hell of a good bull:” the implication is that Macomber is finally worthy of respect by right of the beast he has conquered.

Margot is disturbed by Macomber’s suddenly-gained confidence and assertion of his manhood, feeling her position of dominance threatened. His exhilaration after the buffalo hunt unnerves her. But with Macomber’s transition from boy to man comes death. Hemingway offers his perspective on happiness here: However brief, even a moment of confident happiness is enough to make one’s life worthwhile.

It is no coincidence that Margot is the one who kills him: there is an unresolved debate as to whether she murdered Macomber, or accidentally killed him. If she purposefully shoots him, she has preserved her dominance in the relationship, and ensures that she will keep his wealth (presumably the only reason they married in the first place).

If the shot is accidental, the moment actually becomes quite tender, as well as tragic. She has just observed her husband become a man, and even though she fears how their relationship will change, she is suddenly invigorated with energy to start afresh. Margaret picks up the gun to defend her husband, trying to save him in the face of danger. For once in their lives, husband and wife are both on the same side, shooting at the same bull. It is tragically ironic, of course, as she kills the man she is trying to save, but such is Hemingway’s commentary on life. The good things we gain are the sweetest, and the most short-lived.

A third interpretation of Margot’s shot is that she is trying to regain dominance over her husband by killing the bull herself. If this is the case, she wins back her power, but ironically, she destroys the thing she is trying to control. The bullet accomplishes exactly what she was trying to avoid.