by Ernest Hemingway, 1936
Short story in Wayne’s college literature book – very, very good! An American couple, Francis Macomber, and his wife, Margot/Margaret, are on safari in Africa. Their white hunter, Wilson, a “red-faced” man, takes them out to shoot a lion, who has been roaring all night near the camp, Macomber chickens out and botches the shoot and only wounds the lion so they have to go find him (the lion) in the grass. The lion charges and rather than shooting him, Macomber runs wildly in panic. His wife sees him do this. He is deeply ashamed. She is a beautiful woman and he is very rich. She has no respect for him. That night she sleeps with Wilson. The next day, they go buffalo hunting. Macomber is very angry at his wife and Wilson. He blasts 3 buffalo and during that shoot, he loses his cowardice, finds his happy life, and babbles about it. One of the buffalo is only wounded, like the lion, and they have to find it in the grass and kill it. It charges. Macomber stays his ground and while he is shooting the charging buffalo, right before he can take a final shot, his wife shoots from the car and hits Macomber in the base of his skull, dead. It will appear as an accident but she shot him because she realized he had lost his fear and would be able to rid himself of her now and she was too old to find another.
So, Francis Macomber had a short happy life of no fear finally. Lesson to all! DO NOT FEAR! Really, really interesting read. Did not like the shooting of these beautiful animals. Hemingway had a lot of respect for them – describes in detail the lion’s thoughts. The Great White Hunter and Margot, especially Margot, are despicable characters.