The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber

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.

"Hills like White Elephants" is not the normal story where you have a beginning, middle and end. Hemingway gave just enough information so that readers could draw their own conclusions. The entire story encompasses a conversation between two lovers and leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Ernest Hemingway was a brilliant writer. People that study Hemingway's works try to gain insight and draw natural conclusions about Hemingway and his life. Hemingway led a difficult life full of martial affairs and misfortune. Some of these experiences have set the foundation for Hemingway's greatest works. This essay will analyze the influence

Francis reveals his lack of self-confidence and control over the situation. ?If he had been better with women she would probably have started to worry about him getting another new, beautiful wife but she knew too much about him to worry? (Hemingway). His lack of self-confidence has given her all the power in the relationship and it was a major contributing factor in her infidelity. Later on in the story, the growth of Francis?s confidence during the buffalo hunt and Margot?s displeasure with it is the final clue in determination of the death of Francis Macomber. The buffalo hunt gives Francis a new found sense of ?happiness?. This ?new wealth? of confidence is powerful for Francis and devastating for Margot . ?Fear gone like an operation. Something else grew in its place. Main thing a man had. Made him into man. Women knew it too. No bloody fear? (Hemingway). Margot knew at this point that if Francis survives the trip, he might possess enough personal strength and finally leave her, and that is what encourages her decision to kill him. At the end of the story Wilson confirms the reader?s suspicion when he reacts to the shooting by saying to Margot, ?That was a pretty thing to do? (Hemindway). That statement reinforces the belief that Margot was indeed taking advantage of the opportunity to ensure her long-term wealth and eliminate the possibility of being

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

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 story’s characters. Hemingway develops the characterization of Margaret, one of the main protagonists, by using multiple perspectives to assure on her character traits of cruel, manipulative, and fearful.

Benson, Jackson, J. The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway Critical Essays. Durham: Duke University Press, 1975. Print.

Francis Macomber is described as “very tall, very well built... and considered handsome” (Hemingway). He and his wife, Margot, clearly do not have a very healthy relationship, and on various occasions she flirts heavily with Wilson. This story is quite ironic, as in the title it says Francis Macomber’s life was “happy,” though throughout the story you can see that it very much isn’t. He seems to be miserable in his relationship with his wife but as later on stated, “Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce, and Macomber had too much money for Margot to ever leave him” (Hemingway). On the topic of irony, it can also be seen as ironic when he is

In Hemingway’s short story “Short happy Life of Francis Macomber,” Hemingway uses author techniques of perspective to show readers the characterization of the three main protagonists in this story. Hemingway creates a multipart claim using perspective as well as dialogue to show readers a pervasive, negative tone carried throughout the story. Wilson, Francis, and Margaret are characterized by multiple perspectives with multiple traits and negative aspects to their characters. Wilson’s state of mind is quite judgmental towards the Macombers, basing his thoughts on their actions. However, he later comes to the conclusion that Francis, in particular, is not the man he thought he was. Hemingway shows this shift through dialogue and an attitude change. To

Nobody truly wants to live alone in their lives, and many pursue marriage to secure those means. The problem is that the relationship requires more than simply two people coming together. Ultimately they bring out the darker parts of their nature and the insecurities they hide within. The short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway depicts the struggles between people caused by their weaknesses, yet are built upon the inner workings of gender roles, and how losing their fears could have let them break away from their cycle. The story starts with the wife, Margot Macomber, trying to join the men, Francis and Wilson, in conversation but they both quickly kick her from her wants in the discussion. She leaves in

The stories I have chosen to write about are: “Winter Dreams” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”. Both stories are through the eyes of the male lead characters, Harry from “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and Dexter from “Winter Dreams”. Money and wealth cannot ensure that a man is content with his life, which ultimately leads to regret as shown in both stories. Blindness by objects of temptation for moments of happiness will lead to life’s reflections when able to see again only to look at reflections of guilt and thoughts of what one’s life could have been.

By telling their tale through a third person, limited omniscient point of view filled with details provided from the minds of each character, Hemingway crafts people who fall somewhere in between round and flat characters. Using a point of view that can see into the minds of each character, Hemingway is able to show that Francis Macomber is an average American man who, unfortunately, falls in line behind his controlling, manipulative wife, Margot. Francis has gone along with Margot's wishes for all eleven years of their marriage, and does not start to stand up for himself until he finds himself in a completely new environment. When he does begin to stand up to her, she threatens to leave him, then tells him to “behave [himself]” (94). Francis's only reaction is to tell her to try behaving herself, which she merely deflects again, as she had previously done when he he weakly suggested she “let up on the bitchery just a little” (83). Francis is continually shown to be passive and to have always allowed his wife to walk all over him. He knows his wife wouldn't leave him, yet he is always too cowardly to defend himself against her attacks. The whole situation is worsened by Wilson's constant flirting with and then sleeping with her, combined with his obvious lack of respect for either one of the Macombers. He thinks that Francis is a “bloody four-letter man as well

Margot seemed distraught in the story and said “I wish it hadn’t happened. Oh, I wish it hadn’t happened” (2). She went to her tent and appeared to be crying because her shoulders were shaking. Francis’ cowardice makes him less of a man in Margaret’s eyes than he already was, putting an even bigger strain on their marriage and opening the door to infidelity with Wilson who is painted as a strong male character throughout the story. Wilson thinks to himself in the story “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” (12). Hemingway uses this line to display the idea that a man can’t control his own urges and he has to keep his wife in check with his own actions. Wilson takes no responsibility for the infidelity and blames it all on Francis’ cowardice. If Francis had shown courage in this moment it could have reignited the passion in Francis and Margaret’s marriage rather than put an unnecessary strain on it further complicating their dichotomy. He should have been the brave man his wife needed to see providing for her so she could feel some sense of passion with him.

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 “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” by Earnest Hemingway, Harry portrays as a Hemingway hero. After he refuses to apply iodine to a scratch while on an adventure in the wilderness, Harry discovers that he has developed gangrene. Laying on his cot, he is reminded of all of the adventures he has taken and all of the ones he wishes he could take. He wants to appear brave and tough to hide his true emotions from his wife by making scornful commentary and mocking the fact that he is dying.

As a result, one of the most noteworthy scenes in this story is when Hemingway reminisces about the vacations and wonderful times they have had together. He describes the happiness he felt during winter with his wife. He especially recalls the bright sun in the Austrian mountains when they hiked and skied and when he wrote his short stories with her. This scene is of utmost importance because it demonstrates Hemingway’s values and his effort to maintain positive relationships. As a result, Hemingway’s guilt over the affair is the most important passage of this book: “When I saw my wife again standing by the tracks as the train came in by the piled logs at the station, I wished I had died before I ever loved anyone but her” (Hemingway 218). Throughout this story, Hemingway has encountered various people from writers to waiters to fishers and so on. His ability to value true friendship and overall positive relationships makes him such a respectable author. Whether it was a romantic relationship or simply a friendship, Hemingway attempted to connect and form a strong bond. For this same reason, he ended the timeline of the novel shortly after he and his wife had