The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

short story by Hemingway
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The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, short story by Ernest Hemingway, first published in Cosmopolitan in 1936, collected in The Fifth Column and the First Forty-nine Stories (1938). Set on an African safari, the story contains some of the author’s recurrent themes—“grace under pressure” and adherence to a manly code of behaviour. It is also known for its ambiguous depiction of emotions and motivations. The character Francis Macomber, a wealthy American, and his wife, Margot, are on safari with their English guide, Robert Wilson. Macomber wounds a lion and runs away in fear. The guide is horrified at his ...(100 of 196 words)