The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

by

Ernest Hemingway

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber Characters

Francis Macomber

The protagonist of the story, Francis Macomber is a wealthy, thirty-five-year-old American man on safari in Africa. The story begins with Macomber’s crucial failure to hunt down and kill an African lion, which terrifies… read analysis of Francis Macomber

Margot Macomber

Margot Macomber is Francis Macomber’s “extremely handsome and well-kept” wife, a socialite and former model (she once commanded five thousand dollars” to endorse “a beauty product which she had never used)” who clearly understands… read analysis of Margot Macomber

Robert Wilson

A British hunter hired by Francis Macomber to facilitate the safari, Robert Wilson is often described as Hemingway’s alter-ego in the story, or at least an alter-ego for Hemingway’s own image of himself. Hemingway, himself… read analysis of Robert Wilson

Kongoni and the Swahili guides, gun-bearers, and servants

Lurking discontentedly in the background of the text are the Swahili-speaking men who assist with the safari and preparation for the hunt: cooks, gun-bearers, guides, and other servants, some only young boys. (Only one, “Kongoni,”… read analysis of Kongoni and the Swahili guides, gun-bearers, and servants