Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber Essay, Research Paper

In Ernest Hemingway?s ?The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber? the true

character which is fit to qualify as the code hero is Francis Macomber. It is

not obvious at first considering that in the story Francis is portrayed as a

cowardly fearful man, as opposed to the manly and brave Wilson, who seems the

perfect character to be the code hero. With the lion hunting incident at the

opening of the story, Francis cowards off from the lion?s roar alone, running

to safety in front of his wife, which defies the code by not having acceptable

behavior in facing death, while Wilson goes in to face the lion and kills him

bravely. Yet where the theme of the story is concerned, Francis faces a bigger

challenge than Wilson can ever imagine. Francis is a cowardly man, not

physically, but mainly mentally. He lacks self esteem and belief in his own

self, which leads to people stepping all over him, like his wife does. His wife

openly cheats on Francis, only because she is convinced that he is too much

afraid if she left him, he can?t be wanted by another woman. Francis?

behavior towards her is the root of her observation, he is convinced that he is

less than what he is and she underestimates him just the same. Wilson is a tough

man, who bravely earns a living by hunting wild safari animals for rich men who

come for hobby and to impress their wives. He is not facing an inner turmoil

like Francis, just physical ones that he knows he can handle. He has much

esteem, he is positive that he can overcome any challenge that his job brings.

For his own hobby, he pleasures the wives of the rich men he works for. In the

story?s climax, Francis proves to be the character Hemingway uses to fulfill

his code hero. Francis seems not to fit the code in the beginning of the story,

for the Hemingway code hero must: avoid death at all costs, which Francis does

in a cowardly way that defies the second rule; when in face of death the hero

must have acceptable behavior. At the near end of the story, Francis fulfills

the code by thinking up in a quick minute, just like the code, is a man of

action, he doesn?t think before he goes into the bush, he just lives for the

moment with excitement. Francis, as the true Hemingway code hero, goes all his

life being a certain way, a cowardly man who is afraid of everything deep inside

that intimidates him, he has a life altering experience when his wife cheats on

him with the man who intimidates him the most at the moment, Wilson, he decides

to be brave and changes his fearful ways, just goes about his way by facing the

buffaloes as bravely as can be. At that moment the person who uses him for his

discontent in himself, Margot, realizes that he has changed and he will now have

the guys to leave her. The woman who before threatened Francis endlessly when he

stood up for himself now is in fear that the cards are turned. Unfortunately for

Francis he dies of bravery when his wife mistakenly shoots him in the back of

the head, missing the bull charging on to him, trying desperately to save

Francis? life. A major difference is this in Hemingway?s two exemplary code

heroes, Francis Macomber and Frederic Henry of ?A Farewell to Arms?,

Frederic actually lives on to change his ways of thinking and his values.

Francis is a misfortuned man who finally is saved and dies from cowardice by his

bravery sprouted from anger and jealousy and intimidation all rolled into one.

The short story carried a great moral, how people who are not content with

themselves get stepped all over by others. It teaches you that you are what you

think you are, its your choice to choose to be content or not content, the catch

is that your decision might just change your outcome as it did in Francis?.