Character Analysis Of "The Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber".
Remember that guy from high school who had everything? He was the one with the brand new convertible, good grades, great looks, and beautiful girlfriend. How I wanted to be that guy. I never stopped to wonder what his life was really like or if he was what he appeared to be. Unless one gets close enough to a person to learn what goes on in his or her life the observer will never know what it's like to walk in that person's shoes. However, in writing it's different. The author gives the reader a chance to become intimately acquainted with fictional characters and to know the characters better than would be possible in real life (Arp 169). The reader has the ability to glimpse the inner lives of the characters and to experience " an exciting opportunity to observe human nature in all its complexity and multiplicity" (Arp 169). Such is true in Ernest Hemingway's short story, "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". The main character, Francis Macomber, seems to have it all - wealth, success, good looks, and beautiful wife - but below the surface is a man with no self-respect or confidence. While on safari in Africa, Francis Macomber is overcome with fear when he is faced with stalking and killing a lion. When he fails to complete the task he is labeled a coward. However, as the story progresses Francis undergoes a transformation. The character of Francis Macomber evolves due the constant abuse from his wife, an inner struggle with fear and embarrassment, and the deep hatred that he feels for Mr. Wilson. .
The abuse Francis Macomber suffers from his wife in the story is a key aspect in the transformation that he undergoes. Early on in the story the reader learns that this is a marriage that was not made in heaven. In fact, it seems that their marriage exists from mutual need only. The narrator states, "They had a sound basis of union.