The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber is suddenly invigorated with energy to start afresh. Margot 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
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber . . .” "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" was first published in the September 1936 issue of "Cosmopolitan" and later published in "The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories" (1938). The essence of "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is courage. Wilson has courage but Macomber, who is afraid of lions, has none. When the cowardly husband, whose wife made her way from Wilson's tent hours before, finds the courage to face the charging buffalo, he forges the identity he wants: the courage to face both wild animals and his wife. Tragically, Macomber's happiness is measured